Donovan sees room to improve, but DeRozan extends Bulls' streaks in win
The Bulls have been one of the NBA's biggest surprises, with a 38-21 record heading into the all-star break, good for a first-place tie in the East with Miami.
After all that, coach Billy Donovan came back from vacation this week with a three-word slogan for the team: Not Good Enough.
"What we've done up to this point in time, in my opinion, is just not good enough," Donovan said. "I'm not trying to be negative, it's just not. We've got to get better. I think the guys know that."
The Bulls showed some flaws Thursday, but pulled out a 112-108 victory over the Atlanta Hawks thanks to a record-extending performance from DeMar DeRozan. Scoring 37 points on 15 of 21 shooting, DeRozan hit his NBA-record eighth-straight game with at least 35 points while shooting better than 50% from the field.
After leading most of the way, the Bulls trailed by 3 points in the final minute until DeRozan hit a pair of jumpers. The second turned into a 3-point play with 15.1 seconds left to put the Bulls ahead by 2 points. He scored 12 points and hit all 5 shots in the fourth quarter.
"You love it and you hate it," DeRozan said of the clutch situation. "Of course you don't want to be down and have the pressure on yourself to try to pull out a game. But when you're in those moments, you've got to take it on. I love the challenge, I love the opportunity. It's fun."
After the game, newcomer Tristan Thompson had a nickname ready for DeRozan - "Smooth Criminal." He also wrapped DeRozan in a bear hug during the on-court TV interview.
In between DeRozan's clutch baskets, the Bulls got a much-needed defensive stop when Atlanta all-star Trae Young tried to drive against Ayo Dosunmu and had his shot blocked. Young dished out 10 assists, but hit just 3 of 17 shots against Dosunmu's defense.
"I knew the good player he is, all-star, they always go to their go-to moves when it's winning time," Dosunmu said. "You saw DeMar got to his go-to move when it was winning time. So pretty much, I just wanted to give him length, not give up a 3 and try to contest without fouling."
After DeRozan's 3-point play, Nikola Vucevic jumped out to contest a Bogdan Bogdanovich 3-point attempt, which missed badly. Javonte Green got the rebound and added free throws to clinch the Bulls' sixth straight victory.
Depending on what measurement is used, the Bulls have the first- or second-toughest schedule the rest of the way. The Bulls are back at home Saturday against Memphis, which owns the league's third-best record. After that, the Bulls visit Miami and Atlanta, followed right away by Milwaukee.
"Everybody's in a position that they're fighting for something," Donovan said. "These are great tests and great opportunities for us to try to improve. I like the fact that the schedule is so hard, because if you want to be a team that's going to play after the regular season ... you have to deal with hard and we've got to be able to do that."
The Hawks had a tough time matching up on the wings and the Bulls took advantage right away, building an early 10-0 lead. Two minutes into the second quarter, DeRozan reached 20 points.
But every time the Bulls seemed ready to pull away, they'd miss a few shots, add a careless possession or two and by halftime, Atlanta was within 52-50. The teams combined to shoot 4-for-26 from 3-point range in the first half.
The Hawks took their first lead of the night at the 6:25 mark of the third quarter, when Kevin Huerter hit a 3-pointer to make it 67-65. Dosunmu answered with corner 3-pointers on the Bulls' next two possessions, but the third quarter ended with the score tied 82-82.
Coby White, who was on a shooting tear before the break, couldn't get rolling early and finished the third quarter with 5 fouls. White finally knocked down his first 3-pointer off a DeRozan triple-team with 8:29 left in the contest.
The Bulls led 102-94 after a White layup with 5:51 left. But the Hawks rode the hot hand of Danilo Gallinari (26 points) to go on a 9-0 run and take the lead.
Thompson made his Bulls debut and did what he's known for, playing tough around the basket. His first Bulls basket was a violent dunk and he got the crowd fired up early in the fourth quarter with another basket-bender. The veteran center finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds in 13 minutes, and after the game called on the Bulls to retire Dennis Rodman's No. 91.
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