(670 The Score) These were the Bulls that Chicago used know and love.
With a great deal of their hard work and success from earlier in the season on the brink of being for naught, the Bulls responded Monday with arguably their best performance in weeks, earning a 113-99 win against the visiting Raptors at the United Center. Chicago snapped a three-game losing streak and – for the most part – extinguished worry about the team sliding to the seventh seed and a play-in matchup. With the win, the fifth-place Bulls (42-29) put 2.5 games between themselves and the seventh-place Raptors (40-32), whom they also clinched the tiebreaker over by virtue of a 3-1 advantage in the season series.
"I thought tonight from start to finish, we played to an identity," coach Billy Donovan said.
As opposed to their subpar play in a recent 2-8 skid, the Bulls displayed the hallmarks of their success for the first four months of the season. They had 28 assists and just six turnovers, and they forced the Raptors in 14 turnovers. The Bulls then converted those turnovers into 29 points, their second-highest total of the season.
"The ball movement was really good," Donovan said. "We got downhill. We sprayed it – they're obviously a very, very long athletic team that covers a lot of ground. And I thought we tried to help each other defensively, and we were active. We were able to get out in transition. That's what we got to do, but there's a lot of work that goes into that."
The Bulls were buoyed by two additions Monday – one to their starting lineup and one to their rotation. Veteran Alex Caruso moved into the starting lineup as the new point guard in place of rookie Ayo Dosunmu, and second-year forward Patrick Williams returned from wrist surgery to play his first game since Oct. 28.
Caruso's defensive tenacity was the reason that Donovan cited for making the switch, a move that's permanent. Caruso shot just 2-of-7 but had six assists against no turnovers and was all over the floor defensively, notably when the Bulls surged in a pivotal third quarter.
"AC is just extremely smart," said star guard Zach LaVine, who had 26 points. "With him moving into the lineup and Ayo coming back (to the bench), I think it's going to be a switch-up. We're going to have to get used to it. Alex hasn't been playing a lot since coming back from his injury, but he affects the game in so many ways. And I think Ayo getting that experience in the starting position, now with him having a role coming off the bench, being that spark again, I think it will be good for us just to switch it up. Alex brings so much to the lineup, from IQ to defense to spacing the floor to shotmaking. We're going to need that."
The 6-foot-7 Williams gave the often-undersized Bulls a bigger, more talented forward on the second unit as well as mixing in with the starters at times. He had seven points on 3-of-8 shooting while adding two rebounds and a steal in just shy of 19 minutes of playing time.
"It was amazing," Williams said of returning. "I can't really put it into words, honestly. Just having something taken from you for so long that you love and finally being able to get it back and enjoy it again, there's really nothing like it."
Williams "felt good," he said. Donovan plans to bring him off the bench initially, then perhaps reassess his role later. Williams knows what he needs to bring the team, no matter what his role is.
"Just seeing which ways I can bring energy," Williams said. "These guys, kind of I said, they've been battle-tested throughout the whole season.
Coming back from this All-Star break, we've had a tough schedule. I'm not going to say they're worn down, but having a fresh body who can come in who's been out for five months, I think it's good for me to just bring energy, bring a new kind of vibe to the team a little bit. I think that's the biggest thing for now."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
