Short-handed Bulls nearly pull off big surprise
Before Tuesday night's game in Washington, Chicago Bulls guard Rajon Rondo told reporters he has been trying to stay in basketball shape during his five games on the bench by playing pickup games at Irving Middle School in Maywood.
We'll assume he was playing against adults, not middle-school students - actually, Rondo said teammate Isaiah Canaan was another participant - because Rondo played well in his Bulls return.
The Bulls nearly pulled off a big surprise. Playing without Jimmy Butler (illness), Dwyane Wade (rest) and Nikola Mirotic (illness), they took Washington to the wire before losing 101-99 at the Verizon Center.
"I'm really proud of the way the guys came out and fought tonight," coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters after the game. "Young guys took advantage of their opportunity to get out there under the circumstances we had.
The Bulls (19-20) came out firing at the start and led by as many as 18 points. They knocked down 8 of 10 shots from 3-point range in the first half and took a 61-49 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Bulls made just 2 of 17 attempts from long range in the second half.
Denzel Valentine led the Bulls with 19 points, more than doubling his previous season high. Robin Lopez and Michael Carter-Williams each scored 14 points. Rondo finished with 12 points, 6 assists and 3 steals.
The Bulls took a 99-97 lead with 57 seconds left when Lopez was fouled going for an offensive rebound and hit both free throws.
A John Wall jumper tied the score, then the Bulls missed two chances to take the lead. First, Carter-Williams drove to the basket and missed a shot. The Wizards ran a screen-and-roll for Wall (26 points, 14 assists), who hit a jumper over Lopez with five seconds on the clock.
Hoiberg turned to Doug McDermott, who missed a decent look at a 3-pointer just before the final buzzer. McDermott couldn't get his shot going Tuesday, going 2-for-11 overall and 0-for-5 from 3-point range.
After the game, Hoiberg said he expected Rondo to play Thursday in New York. Rondo was benched for the second half of the Dec. 30 game at Indiana and didn't play at all in the next five contests.
"I thought Rondo was really good," Hoiberg said. "I thought our pace, especially in that first half, was excellent when he was in the game. It's good to see him aggressive looking to score the basketball. He gave us a real lift. I was happy with the way he kept himself ready and stayed positive in his time out of the lineup."
Before tipoff, Rondo talked about trying to figure out the reasons he was benched, although the answer seems obvious - he wasn't playing very well.
"I got a slight explanation from another guy on the (coaching) staff," Rondo said, according to espn.com. "A guy told me that he was saving me from myself.
"Do I need saving from myself? In this game, you grind through it. It's a game of mistakes. You play through it. I don't want to say any names. But that's what the explanation was. (In) Cleveland, they told me I had a negative-20 (plus-minus) in Indiana at halftime. I think that was part of the reason."
Rondo also said his role with the Bulls has been a lot different from what he anticipated when he signed with the team as a free agent last summer. Hoiberg tried to keep the spin positive.
"The biggest thing I talked to him about is how he handled it," Hoiberg said. "He's handled it great. He's been a positive influence on the bench for the younger guys. He's been very vocal, encouraging them. In my mind it was a matter of time before he got the opportunity to get back out there. He took advantage of it and you should see him more in the lineup."
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