Bulls head West searching for more consistency
The future seemed brighter inside the United Center on Friday when the Bulls beat Charlotte.
But as the team departs for an abbreviated version of the annual Thanksgiving road trip, the object is to open that window a little wider.
In other words, it's nice from the Bulls' perspective to see Kris Dunn have his best game as a pro or Denzel Valentine take a successful turn in the starting lineup or Jerian Grant play an efficient game. But doing it every night is what makes someone a quality NBA player.
In his 87th NBA game, Dunn delivered on the potential that made him the No. 5 overall draft pick in 2016. He produced 22 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and just 1 turnover against the Hornets.
Valentine scored a season-high 18 points on Friday and pushed his 3-point percentage past 40 percent for the season. Grant contributed 10 points and 5 rebounds.
The one young player on the roster who has been consistent is rookie Lauri Markkanen, who has scored in double digits in 12 of 13 games. That's a great sign for the Bulls, but they have a long way to go. In the previous two games, the Bulls trailed by 20 points in the first quarter.
"I said, 'Guys, was it hard to go out there and play with that type of effort?'" coach Fred Hoiberg said after the Charlotte game. "Again, when you play with that type of energy and effort and swagger, it's fun. This game is fun when you do that. When you go out and play low energy and you hang your head, it's a drag, and play with low confidence, man it's really hard to play at this level with that mentality.
"So the important thing is we learn from this. We learn from the losses, but we also have to learn from these wins, figure out why we were successful tonight and continue to grow."
The circus no longer visits the United Center in November, but the NBA decided to send the Bulls on a West Coast trip at the usual time. Three of the four opponents have losing records, beginning Sunday in Phoenix, but they'll also visit defending champion Golden State.
The Bulls are hoping Zach LaVine will join in full practice during this trip. He hasn't played since tearing the ACL in his left knee last Feb. 3, but will visit the doctor Monday in Los Angeles.
"I think a lot of it depends on how he feels," Hoiberg said. "If he has pain, obviously we'll slow him down. If not, we'll just keep ramping his activity level up. I'm sure we'll start with half the practice and then continue to ramp up if he feels good. As far as what date we actually get him back, we don't know that yet."
Hoiberg said David Nwaba was still sore on Saturday and won't return from a sprained right ankle in Phoenix.
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls
Bulls game day
Bulls vs. Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena, 7 p.m. Sunday
TV: NBC Sports Chicago
Radio: WLS 890-AM
Outlook: The Suns (6-11) are last in the league in points allowed at 116.6. They had a rough night Thursday, giving up 90 first-half points on national TV against Houston. But the very next night, Phoenix beat the Lakers on the road 122-113. Third-year SG Devin Booker has scored at least 33 points in three of his last four games and is averaging 23.5 points on the season. SF T.J. Warren is at 18.1 ppg, while PF Greg Monroe has averaged 13 points in two games since arriving in a trade from Milwaukee. Former Bulls C Tyson Chandler missed the past two games with an illness. The Bulls lost at Phoenix last year, but are 7-3 in their last 10 games in the Valley of the Sun.
Next: Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Tuesday, 9:30 p.m.
- Mike McGraw