Bulls respond to Sunday's locker room argument by beating Miami
The Bulls have been playing like a team that can't stand the sight of each other. So reports of a noisy confrontation inside the locker room at halftime of Sunday's loss in Minnesota was no surprise.
Whatever happened in Minnesota, at least the Bulls had the correct response in Miami. They rolled to a 113-103 victory on Tuesday, sweeping both games in Miami this season for the first time since 2014-15.
The Bulls took advantage of the Heat's tendency to switch all screens and fed center Nikola Vucevic for a game-high 29 points. DeMar DeRozan added 24 points, Zach LaVine scored 21 and Coby White had a nice game off the bench with 14.
Miami was missing Jimmy Butler (illness) and Kyle Lowry (knee), so this wasn't really a quality win, but the Bulls needed any type of win after giving up 150 points to the Timberwolves.
After the game, Vucevic shrugged off Sunday's locker room argument.
"Nothing that happened was a big deal," he said. "You're in a professional sport, you're in the NBA or any professional league, you're going to have arguments with your teammates, that's part of it."
Asked if a confrontation among teammates can lead to hurt feelings and bigger problems, Vucevic was uncharacteristically blunt with his answer.
"If you're sensitive and soft (yes), but if you're really about winning, if you really care about doing the right thing, then no," he said. "If something goes on and guys argue, it comes from a good place. It's never personal. I don't think that's going to be the case here. Guys are tough enough to take it and respond and that's just part of it.
"When you play competitive sports, you want to win and you're all about winning, that's going to happen. Heat of the moment, things aren't going well, losing streak, whatever it is, it's going to happen. I saw (the report) before the game and I was surprised it even came out and people made a big deal about it. It happens a lot, it's happened to me a lot of times."
Donovan confirmed before the game there was a confrontation, but said he was in the coaches' office and didn't know exactly what happened. But whatever the commotion was about, he was glad to hear it.
"I heard that there was some confrontation, which I think to me personally is healthy," Donovan said. "That needs to go on, in my opinion. What was said, I have no idea."
It could have been about sharing the ball, helping on defense, careless turnovers. The Bulls have had a multitude of issues during their three-game losing streak.
Vucevic explained how not playing for each other and not looking to help teammates can sap the energy from the team. That's what seemed to happen in Minnesota, although the Bulls played well on the offensive end that night.
This time, the defense stepped up with a better effort. After trailing by 5 at halftime, the Bulls won the third quarter 36-20 and stayed in control.
"I thought the guys' effort defensively was great tonight," Donovan said after the game. "They all flew around, they covered for each other.
"I give our guys a lot of credit for the way they came out and defended. And that's what we have to do. We're not the longest team, most athletic team or the fastest team, but we have got to cover for each other."
Derrick Jones Jr. limped to the locker room in the third quarter with a left ankle sprain and did not return. Javonte Green sat out for the fifth time in the last eight games with knee soreness.
Even though it looks like the Bulls hate their teammates, Donovan insisted that's not the case.
"I think our chemistry in terms of guys' relationships and guys liking each other is very, very good," Donovan said. "When we're traveling or with each other at shootarounds and stuff, people interact, there's communication. I think people genuinely like each other.
"But I think it's a totally different situation when you're stepping in between the lines and you've got to be able to rely on each other."
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