Bulls learn to play bully-ball, open with win over Pistons
No better time than Opening Night for a toughness test.
Coach Billy Donovan has been talking about how the Bulls need to play more physical since the start of training camp. Wednesday's season opener brought a perfect opponent in the Detroit Pistons, with one of the NBA's more imposing lineups.
On paper this matchup was physical vs. the anti-physical. This was the kids who played tackle football in the snow at recess against the ones who stuck with tether ball.
Somehow the Bulls were ready for the challenge. After building a 23-point lead in the first half, they had to scramble at the end but were able to pull off a 115-111 victory at the United Center.
A 6-foot hook by center Nikola Vucevic with 1:31 left broke a 109-109 tie. With a 3-point lead in the waning seconds, the Bulls survived a pair of 3-point misses by the Pistons.
Vucevic led the way with 28 points and 14 rebounds. Matas Buzelis added 21 points, while Josh Giddey finished with 19 points and 11 assists.
“When (Vucevic) is playing at that level on both ends, it incredibly helps our team,” Donovan said. “He was rebounding and he was physical up front, and when he does that, it gives us a different dimension.”
Maybe Vucevic, who turns 35 on Friday, was ready for the start of the season since he spent much of the summer playing for the Montenegro national team.
“He loves playing,” Donovan said. “He never asks for days off (from practice). I think he could play for a long time. I just appreciate him professionally the way he keeps himself in shape. It's an adjustment for him, we're playing 100 miles an hour now running up an own the floor and he finds a way.”
The seriousness of this get-tough message could be seen in the third quarter when Patrick Williams looked like he wanted to fight Pistons center Jalen Duren after getting fouled on a battle for a rebound. Vucevic put Williams in a friendly head lock to calm him down.
Before the game, Donovan offered a checklist for how to play physical.
“I always say the game begins when the ball's loose,” Donovan said. “How well can we block out and rebound? How well can we cut and move and get open against a team that forces a lot of turnovers? How well defensively can we get into the ball?”
Some answers arrived quickly. Vucevic hit the offensive glass and forced an early second foul on Duren. The first time Cade Cunningham backed Giddey into the post, he missed a well-contested shot. Buzelis spotted a mismatch in the paint and slided over to block a shot by Tobias Harris.
Bulls newcomer Isaac Okoro didn't score at all in the game, but he did take the first charge of the season against Cunningham — another task on Donovan's physical wish list. Okoro, who was in foul trouble, did produce the Bulls' best plus-minus at plus-17.
At halftime the Bulls led in total rebounds 30-15 and in second-chance points 11-0. As Detroit grew more desperate, those stats evened out. The final rebound margin was Bulls 50-46.
Detroit scored the first 6 points of the third quarter to get within 9, but the Bulls answered with their own 8-0 mini-surge. When Duren was given a landing-space flagrant foul, and Buzelis knocked down the ensuing three free throws, the Bulls’ advantage was back to 77-55.
After a few runs lost steam, the Pistons finally tied the score at 105-105 on a corner 3-point by Ron Holland with 2:54 left. The Bulls kept scoring, adding an alley-oop by Buzelis, then the hook from Vucevic to put the Bulls ahead with 1:31 remaining.
With the lead still at 2, Cunningham missed an open 3-pointer, Giddey split a pair of free throws, then a Cunningham bank made it 112-111 with 19.9 seconds left.
The Bulls got a break when Cunningham reached in and knocked the ball away from Giddey and out of bounds. The initial call was Detroit basketball, but after the Bulls asked for a review, the ruling was changed to a foul on Cunningham. Giddey hit both free throws to make it a 3-point game with 13.8 seconds left.
Cunningham led the Pistons with 23 points and 10 assists, while Isaiah Stewart had 20.