Category: Bulls News

Billy Donovan shows love to Javonte Green after Bulls win over Pacers

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Indiana Pacers, head coach Billy Donovan showed love to Javonte Green.

The Chicago Bulls’ Wednesday night win over the Indiana Pacers was about the defense. The Bulls became the first team to hold the Pacers under 100 points all season, as Tyrese Haliburton has led Indiana to an incredible offensive season. But Chicago locked in and shut them down, earning a blowout win by a score of 125-99.

However, the subplot of the game was the return of Javonte Green. The Bulls inked Green to a 10-day contract after he spent most of this season in the G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors. Now, he’s back with the Bulls after spending two-and-a-half seasons with the team.

He played real minutes for the Bulls against the Pacers, and after the game, head coach Billy Donovan shouted him out. (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

“I’m happy for him because to go through what he went through with the knee injury and having to go to the G League, that was probably pretty humbling, especially for his time here [when] he performed so well,” Donovan said. “He moved into the starting lineup, he was a guy who really complemented the starters. And then for him to go down like he did and almost start over again, for me personally with the journey he has had to go through I’m really happy for him.”

Green played 19:19 against the Pacers, giving the Bulls some solid minutes off the bench.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Billy Donovan likens Tyrese Haliburton to Bulls plan for Lonzo Ball

Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan said that Tyrese Haliburton’s play is how they wanted to use Lonzo Ball.

The Chicago Bulls absolutely dominated the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, taking them down in a 125-99 win. It was the first time any team had held the Pacers under 100 points all year, as the Bulls locked in on the defensive end of the court. A big part of their success was how they mitigated the effectiveness of Tyrese Haliburton.

The Indiana guard has been having an incredible season despite his recent struggles. After the game, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan showed love to Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, noting the way he’s been able to utilize the personnel in Indiana.

Donovan even mentioned that the way the Pacers are using Haliburton is how the Bulls wanted to utilize Lonzo Ball. (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

“He has always come across to me as trying to use his personnel to the best of his ability,” Donovan said. “I think Haliburton is such a unique player, and it’s to a certain extent what we tried to do with Lonzo—get guys down the floor, let him throw it up, let him advance it. I think [Carlisle] has always done a great job of, ‘OK, here’s the personnel. How do we utilize it?’ ’’

Haliburton made his second All-Star Game this season, while Ball hasn’t played in an NBA game in two years while dealing with knee issues.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Alex Caruso on how Bulls can maintain great defense after Pacers win

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Indiana Pacers, Alex Caruso spoke about how his squad can maintain their defensive excellence.

The Chicago Bulls put on a show on Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers. When you hear the sentence in the context of today’s NBA, you usually envision a scoring Master Class. But the Bulls did the opposite. They completely shut down one of the best offenses in the NBA, holding the Pacers to 99 points.

It was the first time all season that the Pacers failed to crack the 100-point mark, and it was Chicago’s defensive pressure that forced the issue. Last year, the Bulls were a top-five defense in the league, but so far this season, they have been fairly subpar on that side of the ball.

After the win over Indiana, Alex Caruso spoke about what the Bulls need to do to get back to their great defensive ways of last year (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

“Being consistent with our effort and discipline, knowing the assignments, keeping guys off the free-throw line,” Caruso said. “If we can do that consistently we are a good defensive team. We’ve had some slippage in that area, but we know we can do it right.”

With guys like Caruso, newly-re-signed Javonte Green, Ayo Dosunmu, and others leading the way, the Bulls have all the pieces to be a very annoying defense for opponents to deal with.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Is Bulls win over Pacers a result of the ‘Javonte Green effect’?

Is the “Javonte Green effect” a real thing for the Chicago Bulls?

For the past three seasons, the Chicago Bulls have been one of the most painfully average teams in the NBA. They are stuck in the middle of the pack every season, but despite that, the front office has kept the same core together. DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic have won just one playoff game together.

However, their blowout win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night could be indicative of “the Javonte Green effect.” Since the Bulls traded for Green in 2021, they are 133-133, but with Green in the lineup, they are a slightly better 59-55. When Green is on the court, good things happen.

After the win over Indiana, the Chicago Bulls Central YouTube channel discussed whether or not “the Javonte Green effect” is a real thing.

Green recently rejoined the Bulls on a 10-day contract, and against the Pacers, he played his first real minutes since getting back.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Breaking down Chicago Bulls’ dominant win over Indiana Pacers

The Chicago Bulls picked up a dominant win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.

The Chicago Bulls were feeling rough after their tough loss to the Washington Wizards, but they couldn’t have bounced back in a better way on Wednesday night, as they absolutely obliterated the Indiana Pacers by a final score of 125-99. As soon as the first quarter wrapped up, it was all over for the Pacers.

By halftime, the Bulls were up by 21 points, and their largest lead throughout the course of the game was 29 points late in the fourth quarter. Indiana cut the lead down to seven in the third quarter, but Chicago ballooned it back out to double digits (and then some) in the final frame.

The Chicago Bulls Central YouTube channel broke down the Bulls’ dominant win over the Pacers after the game.

DeMar DeRozan’s 27 points led the way for the Bulls, but it was their defense that was most impressive, as they held the Pacers to their first game under 100 points all season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Javonte Green on his important minutes in Bulls win over Pacers

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Indiana Pacers, Javonte Green spoke about his return to action for the Bulls.

The Chicago Bulls are fighting tooth and nail down the stretch of the season. There isn’t much place for them to move in the Eastern Conference standings, but they are looking to maintain their spot as the ninth seed, fending off the Atlanta Hawks, who are currently slated as the 10th seed.

As the Bulls continue to give their all every game, they are looking for contributions from everyone up and down the roster, including those who have just joined the team. Well, in this case, rejoined. Javonte Green, who just inked a 10-day contract to come back to Chicago, played some important minutes in the Bulls’ Wednesday night win over the Indiana Pacers.

After the game, Green spoke about his role. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“I had butterflies just going in,” Green said. “And then I knew I had to just go in there and give them what they came to see.”

In 19:19, Green finished the game with five points, four rebounds, one assist, and one block while shooting 2-of-3 from the field.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Alex Caruso says Pacers seemed ‘tired’ in Bulls win

Alex Caruso said that the Indiana Pacers seemed tired in the Chicago Bulls’ Wednesday night win.

The Chicago Bulls welcomed the Indiana Pacers to town on Wednesday night in hopes of bouncing back after their Saturday night loss to the Washington Wizards. They did exactly that, earning a massive win over the Pacers. Chicago picked up a 125-99 victory over Indiana, playing some of the best defense on the Pacers of any team all season.

This was the first time that any team had held the Pacers below 100 points all season. Nobody on the Pacers cracked the 20-point mark, while DeMar DeRozan (27 points), Nikola Vucevic (22 points and 12 rebounds), and Andre Drummond (14 points and 11 rebounds) led the way for the Bulls.

After the game, Alex Caruso said that the Pacers seemed tired, but the Bulls also played well. (H/t ESPN)

“They seemed a little tired, but we played well,” Caruso said. “We covered for each other and didn’t have any of those lapses where we give up a slip-out layup or somebody forgot to rotate or get in and battle for the rebound.”

Chicago’s win over the Pacers was a great bounce-back for them.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Billy Donovan credits Bulls defense for win over Pacers

Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan credited the team’s defense for their Wednesday night win over the Indiana Pacers.

The Chicago Bulls dropped a tough game to the bottom-feeding Washington Wizards on Monday night. It was brutal, it was ugly, and it was one of their worst losses of the season. Luckily for Chicago, they bounced back in a big way on Wednesday night, picking up a massive victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Just one game after a terrible loss, the Bulls blew the doors off of the Pacers, winning by a score of 125-109. DeMar DeRozan led the team in scoring with 27 points, Nikola Vucevic posted a double-double, and Javonte Green gave the Bulls 19:19 in his first minutes since rejoining the Bulls.

After the game, head coach Billy Donovan said that Chicago’s defense was the driving force in the win. (H/t ESPN)

“As a team, I thought we were very connected defensively,” Donovan said. “I really thought the way they helped each other was very important … with (Indiana) being such a hard team to guard offensively, the number of points they score.”

Chicago held Indiana, one of the league’s best offenses, to under 100. It was the first time any team has done that this season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

How do Chicago Bulls’ strengths and weaknesses compare to other teams?

How do the Chicago Bulls compare to other Play-In Tournament teams?

For the past three years, the Chicago Bulls have been the pinnacle of mediocrity. They created the core of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic and got off to a hot start. Since then, however, they have won just a single playoff game, and this season, they once again find themselves in the middle of the pack.

But where does this put them in comparison to the rest of the NBA? More specifically, to other teams around their level? How do they compare to the Atlanta Hawks – an offensively-dominant squad stuck in the middle of the East? Or the Miami Heat – a mediocre regular-season team that always turns things up in the playoffs?

The Locked On Bulls podcast recently discussed how the Bulls compare to other teams in the race for the Play-In Tournament.

The Bulls are going to play at least one postseason game, but what does that get them in the long run?

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

DeMar DeRozan says Bulls ‘need to be more desperate’

After the Chicago Bulls’ recent loss to the Washington Wizards, DeMar DeRozan said his team needs to play more desperate.

For the past few seasons, the Chicago Bulls have been stuck in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference. And at the beginning of this year, things were looking worse, as they jumped out to a 5-14 start to the season. However, they turned things around and earned themselves a spot in the Play-In Tournament. But if they want to go any further, they need to turn up the heat.

Unfortunately for the Bulls, their latest loss was the exact opposite of that. They took on the Washington Wizards, one of the worst teams in the league, and lost. Washington won their third game in a row for the first time this season, and the Bulls lost their third game in a row in a very winnable game.

After the loss, DeMar DeRozan said the Bulls need to play more desperate. (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

‘‘It sucks because all these games matter,’’ DeRozan said. ‘‘You want to be playing good basketball toward this part of the season. In the circumstance we are under, everything matters so much more. We’ve got to be more desperate. Not just the beginning of the game, but every single game from here on out. There’s time, but we need to be playing the right way. Competing from beginning to end, that’s all that matters.’’

If the Bulls want to make any noise past the Play-In Tournament, they need to take things up a notch.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]