Bulls are learning how to fight back against physical opponents
It's no secret the Bulls need to get tougher.
Wendell Carter Jr. does a nice job of battling underneath and Thad Young is used to knocking into bigger opponents. Everyone else, though, has room for improvement.
Coach Jim Boylen thinks Golden State on Friday will be a good test.
"Golden State's physicality in the last game was an issue for us," Boylen said, referring to the Warriors' 104-90 win on Nov. 27. "Golden State is a physical team. (Glenn) Robinson, (Eric) Paschall, (Draymond) Green - they bang you, they get into you. We've got to be able to grow and handle that. We talk about it every day."
The Bulls rank 27th in the league in rebound percentage and lost the boards at Golden State 54-42. But it's more than that. Boylen thinks opponents write physical play into the game plan against the Bulls.
"In the second half (of Wednesday's game), Memphis picked up their physicality, kind of moved us around a little bit, hurt us on the boards," Boylen said. "Those are things we focused on and talked about.
"The physicality of teams is something we have to deal with. I think it's a growth plate for us. Whether it's a big guy or just in general - people grabbing, holding, clutching us on some of our actions - it's a place we have to get better."
LaVine waits for later:
Over the last six games, Zach LaVine has averaged 30.7 points while shooting 56 percent from 3-point range.
In the two victories this week, he had relatively modest scoring totals (28 vs. Sacramento, 25 vs. Memphis), but he's been ready to deliver in the fourth quarter.
Against the Kings on Monday, LaVine hit a pair of 3-pointers and 4 free throws in the final six minutes. On Wednesday when Memphis pulled within 88-87 with 4:29 left, LaVine answered with a 3-pointer and long 2-point jumper on the next two possessions.
"You're not going to always hit those shots, but you can't be scared to take them or miss them," LaVine said Thursday. "I'm not scared to do that. I've been stepping up to the plate, I'm going to continue to do that."
Along with that, there have been times in the first three quarters when LaVine is quiet offensively. That's sort of a traditional role for an NBA scorer - get teammates involved, then take control during crunchtime.
"I'm just playing the game, what they've giving me," he said. "Taking my open shots, I've been getting to the free-throw line. I think it's been helping out by not pressing or searching shots out, just letting them come to me and turning it on when I need to."
Injury report:
The Bulls did not provide any official update on Otto Porter's foot injury Thursday, but it's probably safe to say he'll be out another couple weeks at least. Chandler Hutchison (shoulder) did some activity, but has been ruled out for Friday.
Center Cristiano Felicio (broken right wrist) was seen taking some shots after practice and even worked on alley-oop dunks. He has yet to play in a game this season.