Bulls may need new late-game plan after LaVine's quiet fourth quarter in Detroit
Looking deep into the box score, there was something that didn't make sense from the Bulls' victory at Detroit on Wednesday.
Zach LaVine scored 41 points and hit 14 of 20 shots from the field, yet took just 1 shot in the fourth quarter, when the Bulls nearly squandered a 21-point lead.
The Bulls went 2-for-16 from the field in the final quarter, but saved themselves by going 12-for-13 from the foul line. LaVine did score 5 points on free throws in the fourth. DeMar DeRozan went 2-for-7 from the field, 4-for-4 at the line.
DeRozan has been the Bulls' go-to, late-game scorer since he arrived in 2021, but he's been struggling lately with a right quad strain. After scoring 29 points against Washington last Sunday, DeRozan said he felt great.
He didn't look great in the past two games, though, scoring 13 points at Toronto and 21 against the Pistons. He hit 12 of 27 shots in those two games. Not terrible, but the Bulls have gotten used to efficient scoring from the veteran forward.
So why not more LaVine in the fourth quarter in Detroit? Coach Billy Donovan addressed the topic after the game.
"DeMar's really effective when you get the ball to him at the elbows because he can score from there, but he can also facilitate," Donovan said. "You're going to put the ball in those guys' hands with the correct spacing and let them try to make some plays."
LaVine played the entire third quarter, so he was on the bench getting some rest when the fourth quarter started. He did get the ball late when the Pistons sent a double-team at DeRozan, drew a foul and hit 2 free throws that put the Bulls ahead for good with 48.9 seconds left.
"The biggest thing is, you have to anticipate at the end of games, teams are going to trap those guys," Donovan said. "So the worst thing you want to do is start moving around and guys don't know where their outlets are.
"Now all of the sudden there's a trap and you're trying to run all this movement and cutting and it becomes difficult. So you want to be able to create spacing on the floor where those guys can make the reads."
Center Nikola Vucevic missed an open three and a good look in the post during the fourth quarter. Patrick Beverley air-balled a corner three.
Maybe the biggest missed opportunity came when Patrick Williams drove the baseline and had Vucevic open in the lane for a dish, but instead went up for the shot in traffic and missed with 1:26 left and the score tied.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, there was an exchange between Beverley and Vucevic. Beverley got beat on a drive by rookie Jaden Ivey and fouled to prevent the lay in. Vucevic was in position to help, but was focused on potential screens on the left side and didn't see Ivey coming. Beverley said something to Vucevic and the veteran center seemed agitated by his new teammate.
"I'm not the type who's going to withhold any type of information, any type of anything I can give them I am going to give them," Beverley said after the game, according to bulls.com. "Be on their (butt) when they're (messing) up, be the first person off the bench when they hit big shots. I've always been that type of teammate."
The Bulls are back home to host Phoenix on Friday. Kevin Durant made his Suns debut on Wednesday in Charlotte, scoring 23 points in 27 minutes. It was Durant's first game action since Jan. 8 when he played for Brooklyn and suffered an MCL sprain to his right knee.
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