CHICAGO – A four-game winning streak has vaulted the Chicago Bulls over .500 in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the first time since Nov 24.
“Hopefully, it means we’re building, starting to do all the right things,” Bulls guard Kevin Huerter said.
Chicago will test that theory on Jan 26 (Jan 27, Singapore time) as they host a Los Angeles Lakers team that have won three of four and is also trying to build sustained momentum.
“That’s the unknown, but that’s what you hope (for), obviously,” Lakers star LeBron James said. “That’s the unknown but you play the game. We got to now prepare ourselves for Chicago... So, we got to keep this road trip going.”
Jan 25 marks the fourth game of an eight-game trip, with the latest stop being a successful one.
The Lakers recovered from the 112-104 loss to the cross-town Los Angeles Clippers on Jan 22 by rallying to defeat the Dallas Mavericks 116-110 on Jan 24.
Luka Doncic torched his former team for 33 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds while contributing solid defence, especially as the Mavericks targeted him down the stretch.
If the Lakers still wonder whether they are starting to roll, there should be no doubt that they are showing grit lately.
Marcus Smart, who scored seven of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, dislocated his right index finger on a deflected pass late in the game. Overcome by pain, he popped the finger back in place and continued.
“It’s part of the game, but that’s who I am,” Smart said. “I’m a tough player. Things happen, and I want to be able to help my team in any way I can, whether I’ve got 10 fingers or not.”
Lately, Bulls fans have become skilled at flashing three fingers to celebrate a made three-pointer.
Chicago swished 21 treys on Jan 24, including Huerter’s game-winner with 0.2 seconds left to sink the Boston Celtics in a 114-111 home win.
The Bulls have drilled at least 17 three-pointers in each game of their current run, including matching a franchise best with 25 makes in the victory over the Clippers on Jan 20.
Coby White connected on five of nine from deep against the Celtics on his way to 22 points, leading eight scorers in double figures.
Coach Billy Donovan feels “we might have found something with our big line-up” that features Jalen Smith and Nikola Vucevic.
To Huerter, the versatility of the front court and the rest of the line-up is what fuels the Bulls when they are at their best.
“Guys have been shooting better, which helps,” Huerter said. “Getting our spacing right. I know we are playing big, but Stix (Smith) and Vooch (Vucevic) are really good shooters playing the four and five position.
“Always helps spacing the defence out and making them react to us. And we play with five guys on the court who can always shoot, and (are) shooting with confidence.”
The Bulls swept the Lakers in last season’s series and are 6-4 in the past 10 games between the teams.
Vucevic has posted six double-doubles in his last 10 games against the Lakers.
Doncic averaged 29.5 points in two games against Chicago last season. He has scored no fewer than 24 points in 12 games in January.
In NBA action on Jan 25, Stephen Curry scored 26 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 111-85 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, his latest NBA milestone overshadowed by upheaval in Minneapolis.
Curry, the league’s all-time leading three-point scorer, climbed into a tie with Paul Pierce for 19th on the career scoring list as he finished the game with 26,397, in a game postponed from Jan 24 after federal agents shot and killed US citizen Alex Pretti amid the ongoing mass immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
Pretti’s death came less than three weeks after an immigration officer in the Midwestern city shot and killed Renee Good.
“You definitely felt the weight of the city,” said Golden State forward Moses Moody, who scored 19 points with eight rebounds and two blocked shots. “I couldn’t imagine too many different times where that large amount of people are together in the midst of a situation like this, so you definitely felt that.”
Golden State coach Steve Kerr said he felt the home team were “suffering.”
“I thought the vibe in the stands, it was one of the most bizarre, sad games I’ve ever been part of,” Kerr said of a contest that opened with a moment of silence to honour Pretti and saw fans calling for the exit of federal immigration officials from their city.
In Oklahoma City, Immanuel Quickley scored 23 points, including a pair of critical three-pointers in the final two minutes, to lift the Toronto Raptors to a 103-101 road win the Thunder. REUTERS