Observations: Defending champ Lakers look part in rout of Bulls originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Lakers drubbed the Bulls 101-90 (it wasn't that close) Saturday night at the United Center in what can best be described as a clinic. Three-game win streak, consider yourself snapped.
Here’s what stood out:
Anthony Davis -- and Wendell Carter Jr.’s -- impacts were felt
The Bulls dodged Anthony Davis in these two’s Jan. 8 matchup in Los Angeles. They weren’t so fortunate on Saturday.
To say his impact was felt would be an understatement. Five minutes into the first quarter, Davis had 9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. Three minutes later (at the 4:01 mark), he was out-scoring the Bulls 13-12. At the end of one, he had 15 on 7-for-8 shooting, the Lakers had 20 points in the paint and the Bulls trailed 29-17.
An answer for him -- and the Lakers’ general dominance on the interior -- failed to emerge. Billy Donovan tried Cristiano Felício for his first non-garbage time run of the season to little avail. Midway through the second quarter, Daniel Gafford had 4 fouls in five minutes of action.
At the half… Well. This was the state of affairs:
There was a bit of push-and-pull in the third quarter, but when the Bulls surrender subbed with just under three minutes to play, the Lakers' lead was 19 points. Davis (37 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block) and James (17 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals) stole the show.
The Bulls certainly missed Wendell Carter Jr., who missed his second straight game with a quad contusion, on the defensive end. But they were admittedly more than his presence away from being competitive.
Another small point of consternation on the defensive end: The Bulls committed two fouls on 3-point shooters -- Dennis Schröder and Wesley Matthews -- a problem area all season. As a team, they committed 28 fouls and ceded 31 Lakers free throw attempts.
Offense stalls
The Lakers are the defending champs, and own both the top defensive and net rating in the NBA. Their length and physicality is smothering.
Still, the Bulls’ offense matched the defense in its abhorrence. Coby White looked out of sorts early, picking up two first-half charges and finishing 5-for-13 from the floor (most of the makes late). Lauri Markkanen’s stretch of strong play stalled; he missed a few clean 3-point looks en route to a 12-point outing. His 0-for-5 night from 3 sneakily brings his accuracy rate from deep down to 30 percent since returning from protocol.
The list goes on.
As a team, the Bulls missed their first 13 3-pointers before Patrick Williams broke the dry spell with just under six minutes to play in the third quarter. They tallied 18 assists one night after posting 33, along with 19 turnovers. Save for a mini-run in the third, it was moribund.
Saturday's 90 breaks a franchise-record seven straight games scoring 115 or more points. A bump in the road for a unit that had surged to 11th in offensive rating.
Rotation ripples
With Carter out and Otto Porter Jr. taking a load management night, Chandler Hutchison poked back into the rotation after being DNPed in his first game back from COVID-19 recovery. He logged 5 pre-white flag minutes, 7 total.
Felício, of course, also snuck in. Tomáš Satoranský, in his second game back, played 12 minutes and hit a garbage time 3. Donovan has said he'll treat the reacclimation of COVID-19 recoverees and protocol indoctrinates with sensitivity.
A hint of fight
To the Bulls' credit, there was a glimmer of a moment where this looked like it might be a game. After trailing by 30 at the half, the trimmed their deficit to as few as 14 with 70 seconds left in the third quarter following back-to-back triples by Denzel Valentine and White.
But two Davis buckets, which gave him 37 points on 21 shots through three, quickly pushed the visitor's lead back to 17. Then, they kicked off the fourth on a 6-0 run and didn't look back.
Highlights of the night
Rim, meet Patrick Williams:
Apologies, but this LeBron dime was just too pretty:
With the loss, the Bulls move to 7-9. Next up: Home for the Celtics Monday.
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