Bulls' win streak ends in OT, but White continues to shine
This Bulls season has taken an unexpected twist, to say the least.
We're not talking about the Bulls struggling to find any takers for Zach LaVine - at a discount, no less. That one's not a shock.
Coby White making a push for the all-star team, no one had that on their list of preseason predictions.
The Bulls' win streak ended at four in a row in Milwaukee on Monday, but they did all you could ask for, putting up a fight against a good team on the road.
White scored 33 points, while DeMar DeRozan piled up 41 points and 11 assists, but the Bulls fell short in overtime 133-129 at Fiserv Forum.
DeRozan posted the second game of at least 40 points and 10 assists in Bulls history. The other was Michael Jordan, who did it against Washington on Dec. 23, 1992, according to Bulls PR. This was DeRozan's 50th game of at least 30 points in a Bulls uniform.
The Bulls started the win streak by beating the Bucks on Nov. 30 at the United Center without DeRozan or LaVine. On Monday, LaVine and Alex Caruso were sidelined, while Milwaukee had all its regulars in both games. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 32 points Monday.
The Bulls (9-15) faced an uphill climb after falling behind by 14 points in the second quarter, but DeRozan hit a baseline runner with 3.7 seconds left to tie the score. Milwaukee had no time outs left after coach Adrian Griffin lost a challenge, so the game headed to overtime when Damian Lillard air-balled a 50-footer.
The Bulls took their only lead of the game when Torrey Craig opened OT by hitting 1 of 2 free throws, but the Bulls missed some good looks and the Bucks opened up a 7-point edge. The Bulls never had possession with a chance to tie at the end.
If anything, the Bulls need to get the ball into White's hands more in crunchtime. He's learned to read the defense and make smart plays, and knocked down a couple of clutch 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
White always seemed like one of those typical young players, a high draft pick who spent one year in college, who would finally blossom once he got to his third NBA team.
Turns out, that description fit ex-Bull Lauri Markkanen. And let's face it, the Bulls probably were more patient with White because they'd already traded away Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. One of those rebuilding draft picks had to work out and White was the last No. 7 pick still with a locker at the Advocate Center.
As a restricted free agent this summer, White re-signed with the Bulls for $36 million over three years, which is already looking like an absolute bargain. If a team had bestowed a hefty offer sheet, would the Bulls have matched? Probably, but we'll never know for sure.
Throughout his growing pains, there were things that stood out about White. His love for the game, his positive attitude. When things went well, he always seemed to be having the most fun.
His origin story faded from public memory, but he obviously never forgot about losing his dad in high school and never getting to share with him the North Carolina experience. He seemed happy and pleasant on the outside, but the drive to become a great player was always churning.
So chalk this up as much-needed good news for the Bulls. There's plenty of time left in the regular season and LaVine's absence opened up some opportunities for others.
White has taken a star turn, Caruso buried a game-tying 3-pointer in the previous Milwaukee game. Even Patrick Williams made some late-game contributions on the glass Monday.
For now, the Bulls seem headed in a good direction, but the challenges arrive quickly this week. They'll host the defending champion Nuggets on Tuesday, with both teams playing the second leg of a back-to-back; then play two games in Miami, followed by a trip to Philadelphia.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports