6 observations: Drummond returns as Bulls rout Hornets originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Chicago Bulls not only took care of business the way they should against an extremely shorthanded Charlotte Hornets Friday night, they got some help elsewhere.
The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Toronto Raptors and the Brooklyn Nets dropped the Atlanta Hawks. That pulled the Bulls to within one game of both the eighth and ninth seeds following their 121-91 dismantling of a Hornets team playing without LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier, Dennis Smith Jr. and Kelly Oubre Jr., and who lost P.J. Washington in the first half.
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The Raptors already own the tiebreaker over the Bulls. The tiebreaker between the Bulls and Hawks will be decided on Tuesday in Chicago when the teams meet.
Until then, here are six observations from the Bulls' latest victory, which clinched the first winning month of the season at 9-6.
1. Drummond returned after missing one game for personal reasons, which he acknowledged via social media focused on improving his mental health.
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He made his presence felt immediately with strong rebounding efforts, helping hold the Hornets to just four offensive rebounds and eight second-chance points. Overall, Drummond finished with 11 rebounds in 14 minutes as the Bulls held a 42-36 rebounding edge.
Afterward, Drummond thanked his teammates for their support in an interview with NBC Sports Chicago broadcasters Adam Amin and Stacey King on the broadcast.
"Felt good to be back on the floor again," Drummond said. "My guys rallied behind me, just gave me a lot of support when I came back in here. It definitely boosted my energy. I still have a lot to deal with, a lot to tackle in my own personal life. But it's good to be back on the floor again."
2. Once again, the Bulls turned defense into offense. Or, in some cases, turned some gifts from a Hornets team that resembled a glorified G League team into offense.
Either way, the Bulls scored 29 points off 22 turnovers. That ran their total over the last four games to a staggering 113 points scored off turnovers over their last four games.
Patrick Beverley, Drummond and Dalen Terry in mop-up time each recorded two steals. The Bulls posted 12 overall.
3. Zach LaVine stayed in attack mode.
LaVine posted a pretty impressive shot profile. Twelve of his 18 shots came in the restricted area. The other six came from beyond the arc. He also attempted seven free throws, although only one in the second half.
LaVine finished with 23 points, shooting 7-for-18, which is below his typical standards. Still, he finished March with averages of 28.4 points on shooting splits of 53 percent overall, 43.6 percent from 3-point range and 87.1 percent from the free-throw line. He also averaged 4.7 assists on the month, which will put him in consideration for Eastern Conference player of the month.
4. The Bulls followed coach Billy Donovan's preferred offensive script. He likes when the Bulls place six to seven players in double figures with at least 25 assists.
They hit the latter number on the nose, while six players reached double figures. That included all starters but Beverley and two reserves in Coby White and Patrick Williams. White continued his recent stellar overall play with 11 points and seven assists. Williams scored well but failed to grab a rebound after securing just one on Wednesday against the Lakers.
The Bulls shot 51.1 percent. That marks the fifth straight game in which they've shot 50 percent or better, the franchise's longest streak since 1994-95.
5. Alex Caruso strung together back-to-back games as he continues to battle the sore left foot that will plague him the remainder of the season. He posted his typically active defensive game with two blocks and one steal but also scored in double figures for only the second time since Jan. 31.
6. The Bulls defended the shorthanded Hornets team without fouling. On the night, the Bulls committed just 13 fouls and the Hornets only attempted 10 free throws. That marked an opponent-season-low.
