Category: Bulls News

DeMar DeRozan: Bulls-Hawks Play-In Game chance to ‘salvage’ season

DeMar DeRozan says the Play-In game against the Atlanta Hawks will give Chicago Bulls a chance to “salvage” their season.

The Chicago Bulls postseason road is set. And it starts in the Play-In Tournament. They are the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference and will be taking on the tenth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the first of two games they would need to win in order to make it to the playoffs. It’s going to be hard, but they are ready.

After a season full of ups and downs, the Bulls don’t just want to roll over. They could have rolled over when they started the season 5-14. Instead, they bounced back. They could have rolled over when Zach LaVine was ruled out for the year. But guys stepped up. They don’t want this season to go to waste.

DeMar DeRozan said that the Ply-In game is a chance for the Bulls to “salvage” their season. (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

“I mean it just gives us an opportunity to salvage so much we went through and not let the season go in vain,” DeRozan said. “Everything we went through (this season), now we got opportunity, you know, make some of the season like giving ourselves a chance. We got the opportunity to put our money on the table.”

If the Bulls get past the Hawks, they’ll take on the loser of the seven-eight game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat.

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Billy Donovan expresses frustration after Craig-Drummond collision

After the Torrey Craig-Andre Drummond collision, Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan shared his thoughts.

The Chicago Bulls took on the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. After a brief period when the game was close at the start, the Knicks earned a fairly comfortable victory. New York took down Chicago by a score of 128-117, and at its largest, their lead was 17 points in the third quarter.

But as if that weren’t bad enough, the Bulls also had a viral moment at the beginning of the second quarter. Torrey Craig was on a fastbreak when he decided to throw the ball off the backboard for a self-alley-oop. However, Andre Drummond thought he was throwing it to him, so the two players collided mid-air.

Head coach Billy Donovan expressed his frustration with the play after the game. (H/t ESPN)

“To me, it was just really disappointing,” Donovan said.

The Bulls need to win as many games as possible down the stretch of the season, but plays like this won’t help.

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Torrey Craig shares thoughts on viral blunder with Andre Drummond

After their viral moment in the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the New York Knicks. Torrey Craig spoke about his collision with Andre Drummond.

The Chicago Bulls are fighting to maintain home-court advantage in their 9-10 Play-In game against the Atlanta Hawks. They are just one game ahead of the Hawks in the standings. Unfortunately, while the Hawks lost on Tuesday night, giving the Bulls a chance to pull ahead, Chicago also fumbled, falling to the New York Knicks by a score of 128-117.

And to make matters worse, the Bulls had a viral moment during the game – in the worst way possible. At the beginning of the second quarter, after the Knicks had led the way for most of the first, Torrey Craig got a fastbreak. He threw the ball off the backboard, going for a self-alley-oop, but Andre Drummond also went for it.

The two players collided mid-air, and they both missed the shot. After the game, Craig spoke about the moment. (H/t ESPN)

“I just wanted to try to create some excitement,” Craig said.

It was an ugly sight, and the Bulls went on to lose the game.

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Billy Donovan discusses Bulls’ turnover problems in loss to Magic

After the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Orlando Magic, Billy Donovan spoke about their turnover problems.

The Chicago Bulls took on the Orlando Magic on Sunday in a game that was crucial to both of their places in the Eastern Conference standings. The Magic are in a battle with the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers for seeding in the East. Meanwhile, the Bulls are fighting to remain in the ninth seed above the Atlanta Hawks.

The Bulls and Hawks are all but locked into a matchup in the 9-10 game of the Play-In Tournament. However, it’s still unknown who will be the ninth seed and earn home-court advantage. And if the Bulls want to stay in that spot, they need to play better.

Chicago lost to the Magic by a score of 113-98, and after the game, head coach Billy Donovan spoke about their turnover issues. (H/t ESPN)

“We’re not going to win turning the ball over 21 times,” Donovan said. “Some of it was carelessness with the ball, but it was like everyone contributed to it. There was a wide range of turnovers.”

Chicago turned the ball over 21 times against Orlando, and the Magic scored 14 fastbreak points.

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DeMar DeRozan scolds Bulls’ play after tough loss to Magic

After the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Orlando Magic, DeMar DeRozan spoke about the team’s need to be better.

The Chicago Bulls have entered the point of the season where every game matters. As they fight for their spot in the Play-In Tournament, where they will almost certainly be playing the Atlanta Hawks in the 9-10 game, their play needs to be consistent. They can’t afford to be dropping easy games, and they need to stay competitive in the tough ones.

On Sunday night, the Bulls traveled to Florida to take on the Orlando Magic, who are also fighting for playoff seeding. The Bulls failed to pull through, as the Magic earned a 113-98 victory, improving their standing in the East playoff picture.

After the game, DeMar DeRozan spoke about the team’s need to be better down the stretch of the season. (H/t ESPN)

“We are coming to a point where we can’t play those [erratic] games,” DeRozan said. “The reality is you don’t want the other side of it.”

DeRozan finished the game with 30 points, three rebounds, and five assists while shooting 13-of-22 from the field.

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Billy Donovan says Knicks games will help Bulls against Hawks

Billy DOnovan says playing the New York Knicks multiple times will help the Chicago Bulls against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Chicago Bulls have a very odd schedule to wrap up the season this year. They picked up a win over the New York Knicks on Friday night, but that’s not the last time they take on the blue and orange. In fact, the Bulls will play the Knicks two more times before their regular season wraps up, including in their season finale.

The Tom Thibodeau-led Knicks are a very physical team that relies on their defense to lead the way. As Chicago prepares for their inevitable Play-In game against the Atlanta Hawks, Billy Donovan is looking to gain as much experience as possible, and he believes playing the Knicks a few times will help with that.

Donovan said that the Hawks have improved their physicality, so the Bulls need to prepare for it. (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

‘‘It will be a great physical challenge for us,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘Atlanta has made some significant progress defensively the last few weeks. This is what it’s like at the end of the year, playing against these types of teams, and I think it can only be helpful for us going against it. There are certain things you have to do physically, and at times we’ve struggled with that, quite honestly, whether it’s on the backboard or trying to win the point of the screen.’’

If the Bulls want to make a run, they need to be in tip-top shape.

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DeMar DeRozan pokes fun at Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau after Bulls win

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the New York Knicks, DeMar DeRozan jpoked fun at Thom Thibodeau.

The Chicago Bulls welcomed the New York Knicks to town on Friday night for a game that meant something to both teams. The Bulls are fighting to maintain home-court advantage in the 9-10 game over the Atlanta Hawks, while the Knicks are trying to keep their spot in the East playoffs, even pushing for home-court advantage in the first round.

Javonte Green played hero for the Bulls, as the veteran forward exploded for 25 points and 13 rebounds. Meanwhile, point guard Jalen Brunson had a 35-point, 11-assist showing for the Knicks. However, the Bulls rode Green’s impressive showing to a 108-100 win in wire-to-wire fashion.

After the game, Bulls star DeMar DeRozan poked fun at Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile on the sidelines or laugh or crack a joke,” DeRozan joked. “You’ve got to love that in your coach. His attitude is very indicative of the teams he has coached.”

DeRozan put up 20 points and dished out 10 assists against New York.

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DeMar DeRozan discusses Alex Caruso’s defensive intensity

Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan recently praised Alex Caruso’s defense.

The Chicago Bulls have been a painfully average team for the past few seasons. After changing up their core in 2021, they made the playoffs in 2022, but they only managed to take one game off the Milwaukee Bucks. In 2023, they lost in the Play-In Tournament and missed the playoffs. And this season, they’re in danger of suffering the same fate.

Last year, the Bulls relied on their defense to help them find some success. This season, they haven’t had that. However, they still have some of the same elite defensive pieces in place. Most notably, Alex Caruso is still one of the league’s premier defenders.

DeMar DeRozan recently praised his defensive intensity. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“He really gets upset when guys score on him,” DeRozan said. “He’s one of those special guys when it comes to the defensive end of the ball that can do a little bit of everything.”

Caruso has a chance to be on another All-Defensive Team this year.

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Jalen Brunson shares thoughts on Bulls after tough Knicks loss

Jalen Brunson praised the Chicago Bulls after the New York Knicks’ loss.

Both the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks are fighting for playoff positioning. In the case of the Bulls, that just means battling with the Atlanta Hawks for the ninth seed and home-court advantage in the 9-10 Play-In game. But for the Knicks, it means scrapping with four other teams for seeding in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

On Friday night, the two teams squared off, and the Bulls got the better of the Knicks. Chicago earned a wire-to-wire victory over New York thanks, in part, to a monster performance from Javonte Green, who just recently rejoined the Bulls. It was a tough loss for an injury-plagued Knicks team.

After the game, Jalen Brunson praised the Bulls for how they played in the win. (H/t ESPN)

“They played with more energy and more pace than we did,” Brunson said. “That’s two games in a row where we were down big early. We just can’t allow that to happen.”

Brunson ended the night with 35 points, six rebounds, and 11 assists.

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DeMar DeRozan shows love to Javonte Green after Bulls win over Knicks

After Javonte Green’s monster game in the Chicago Bulls’ win over the New York Knicks, DeMar DeRozan gave him a bunch of credit.

As the Chicago Bulls look to end the season on a high note and maintain their place as the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the Play-In Tournament, they earned a huge win over the New York Knicks on Friday night. They took down Jalen Brunson, who has been one of the best point guards in the league this year, largely thanks to Javonte Green.

Green, who the Bulls originally signed to a 10-day not long ago before converting his contract to a standard deal, played a giant role in the win over New York. He led the Bulls in scoring on the night.

After the game, DeMar DeRozan credited Green for everything he brings to the table. (H/t ESPN)

“The energy, the enthusiastic style of play he brings, the person he is off the court — he’s one of those guys you want to have on your team,” DeRozan said. “It’s been a tough year for him just trying to get healthy. For him to come out and be doing what he’s been doing since he came back, it’s amazing.”

Green ended the night with 25 points and 13 boards.

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