Bulls understand importance of two games before break
Feel free to be skeptical about the Bulls' mild resurgence and two-game winning streak.
They finished the ice show road trip with consecutive victories at New Orleans and Orlando, but neither provided much evidence the Bulls have solved their long list of issues.
They will have more chances to build toward a positive finish, though, with home games against Sacramento on Tuesday and Cleveland on Thursday before the all-star break begins.
"We're capable of good things; we've shown that," Pau Gasol said after the Orlando game, according to bulls.com. "But we're also capable of bad performances. That's something we need to address and reflect on and do better."
The Bulls pounded the Pelicans by 35 points, but they trailed midway through the second quarter when all-star Anthony Davis was injured in a nasty fall after an alley-oop dunk. Once Davis left the game, the mismatch began.
A day later in Orlando, the Bulls took advantage of some bad Magic mistakes during a 7-0 run over the final 32 seconds, which salvaged an unlikely 98-97 victory.
Sunday's game was another example of the Bulls' inconsistent effort. In the first and fourth quarters, Orlando scored 39 points. In the second and third, it was 58.
"Any way you can get a win on the road is good," coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. "It's been a long couple of weeks for us and I didn't think we played particularly well in the second and third, but I loved the toughness down the stretch to find a way to win."
There was some optimism over the weekend about the chances of Mike Dunleavy returning to game action. He's now missed 19 games with a right ankle injury and Kirk Hinrich missed the Orlando game because of turf toe. It's not clear if either player will be on the court for the upcoming home dates.
Tony Snell started the last two games at small forward. He scored a career-high 19 points at New Orleans, then had 8 against the Magic. He was aggressive in looking for his shot, which could be a good sign if he continues to start.
This year's all-star break has been extended to a week long. When it's over, the Bulls will have 28 games left in the regular season. There was talk in the locker room Saturday about accelerating their sense of urgency.
"We have two home games (before the break) and we have to win them," Gasol said. "We have to do better at home. We have to come out with fire. It is hard to understand for younger guys who haven't been around as much. The windows are small and when you have a (chance to contend for a title) you have to go for it with everything you've got or somebody else will.
"Plain and simple. If it's not you, it's going to be somebody else. It just comes down to how bad you want it."
Gasol won championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and '10. He's currently on a career-high streak of 12 straight double-doubles.
"We need to win," Gasol added. "There's no way around it. We've got to do better at home. We've got to come out with fire, and that's what we need to do as a team, as a group - individuals and collectively."
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