Boylen shuffles the deck, Bulls beat Thunder in best win of season
Changes are happening with the Bulls, without question.
For one thing, new coach Jim Boylen stood at a podium for his postgame news conference, after eight years of Tom Thibodeau and Fred Hoiberg sitting down. Of course, Boylen opened his remarks by asking for the table and chair back.
The Bulls pulled off their best win of the season, without question, taking down Oklahoma City 114-112 on Lauri Markkanen's driving lay-in with 4.9 seconds remaining. The Thunder had won 16 of its last 19 games after starting the season 0-4.
But Boylen put the ball in Markkanen's hands on the final two possessions. Jabari Parker stayed on the bench down the stretch. Kris Dunn and Bobby Portis could be back as soon as Saturday.
Can the Bulls stay together as the team evolves? Zach LaVine, who led the Bulls with 25 points, took on the question.
"I think we're going to have to (handle it)," LaVine said. "That's what happens when things come back. Lauri made a big play at the end. We all made big plays at the end, actually. Justin (Holiday) hit a big 3. I hit a lot of late shots."
On the second-to-last possession, Markkanen was switched onto point guard Dennis Schroder and as defensive help started to arrive, he pitched it out to Holiday, who drained a 3-pointer to put the Bulls up 112-110 with 22.7 seconds left.
After Russell Westbrook tied it with a quick driving lay-in, Markkanen took a dribble handoff from LaVine, spun on Paul George at the top of the key and found an open lane to the basket. He finished the lay in over Steven Adams and George missed a 3 on the other end.
Markkanen left the game for a while after getting his right elbow bumped while setting a screen. The second-year forward has played in just three games this season due to a sprained right elbow.
"I guess it turned out well that I got banged up," Markkanen said with a smile.
Boylen made a point of praising Parker after the game. Staying on the bench in the fourth quarter was something that seemed inevitable when Markkanen returned. Boylen also used Shaq Harrison for a large part of the fourth quarter for his defense on Westbrook.
"The thing I'm preaching is you have to do what helps the team win," Boylen said. "I thought Jabari Parker played one of his most complete games. I'm going to go with the guys at the end of the game that can help us win the game. That doesn't mean somebody didn't play well or somebody didn't do the right thing. He was very good. And then that big Finnish kid isn't bad either."
Parker was not in the locker room when it was opened to reporters, but LaVine empathized with his plight.
"Jabari's playing well right now, like extremely well," LaVine said. "I don't think people give him credit for how good he's playing. He's a dude that was averaging 20 and 10 over the last five games. To ask him to go to the bench, that's tough. That really is tough. You might not understand that in the media, but he took it on his chest. He said, 'Whatever I've got to do for the team to win.' That's the type of dude he is."
Westbrook finished with 24 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists. One of the Bulls' highlights came when rookie Wendell Carter Jr. blocked a Westbrook dunk attempt in the second half.
"(I was thinking) just hope I get this, because it could have been really, really bad on my end if I didn't get that," Carter said with a laugh.
Markkanen scored 24 points and hit 8 of 12 shots from the field. Holiday added 20 points and knocked down 4 of 6 shots from 3-point range.
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls
Bulls game day
Bulls vs. Boston Celtics, 7 p.m. at the United Center
TV: WGN; Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Outlook: The Celtics (14-10) are picking up steam after a slow start, winning four in a row, with three of the victories coming by at least 17 points. ... Boston leads the NBA in defensive field-goal percentage, while offense has been a struggle. PG Kyrie Irving is the top scorer at 22.2 ppg, followed by SF Jayson Tatum (16.4) and PF Marcus Morris (13.8). SF Jaylen Brown returned Thursday against the Knicks after missing three games with a back injury. ... The Bulls were pounded 111-82 in Boston on Nov. 14, losing the second quarter 32-11. Shaq Harrison was the Bulls' top scorer that night with 16 points.
Next: Sacramento Kings, 7 p.m. Monday at the United Center
- Mike McGraw