Williams returns, while lineup change sparks Bulls against Toronto
Patrick Williams made his return after five months on the shelf with a wrist injury and the Bulls put some distance between themselves and the play-in tournament on Monday.
But maybe the most significant development in the Bulls' 113-99 victory over Toronto at the United Center was a shift in the starting lineup.
Coach Billy Donovan used Alex Caruso as the starting point guard and moved Ayo Dosunmu to the bench for the first time since Jan. 14. The move seemed to work in a couple of ways. The Bulls collected 29 points off turnovers, getting back to their early-season strength of creating havoc on defense. And it created a high-energy second group with Williams, Dosunmu and Coby White playing together.
Donovan said he expects the new starting lineup, which kept Javonte Green at power forward, to be a long-term move. It coincided with Caruso getting his minutes limit increased after recovering from a broken wrist.
"It really had nothing to do at all with Ayo," Donovan said. "If you told us back in training camp that Ayo would be our starting point guard, I don't know if anybody would know what that would look like. And he has been incredible. But I've also asked a lot of him in a lot of ways. There's a lot to handle back there."
The Bulls used an 18-2 run late in the third quarter to pull away. Zach LaVine scored 11 points during the decisive run and finished with 26, equaling ex-Raptor DeMar DeRozan. Center Nikola Vucevic contributed 19 points and 13 rebounds.
"I think it's going to be a switch-up, we're going to have to get used to it," LaVine said of the new starting lineup. "He (Caruso) affects the game in so many ways. Alex brings so much to the lineup, from IQ to defense to spacing the floor, shot-making. We're going to need that."
This performance arrived just in time after the Bulls lost eight of their previous 10 games. The victory pushed the Bulls 2½ games ahead of the Raptors for the No. 7 seed in the East, and they clinched the season series 3-1. Cleveland's loss to the Lakers on Monday also put the Bulls a little farther from the play-in tourney.
"We needed to get that confidence and that swagger back," LaVine said. "Obviously being physical and getting stops and getting out running, getting easy shots. It's tough playing when you're always taking the ball out of the net and playing against a set defense."
Williams made his return at the five-minute mark of the first quarter, checking in to a loud ovation. He fouled Pascal Siakam 16 seconds into his stint, but grabbed a couple rebounds and drained a corner 3-pointer before the first quarter ended. Williams finished with 7 points and 2 rebounds in 19 minutes, hitting 3 of 8 shots from the field.
"It was amazing," Williams said. "I can't really put it into words. Just having something taken from you for so long that you love and finally being able to get it back and enjoy it again, there's really nothing like it.
"That first maybe five or six minutes I was in, the wind kind of went quick, the game was fast. But I think my second win came pretty quick. I think I was able to get comfortable defensively, kind of start seeing things I had been watching on film."
Toronto was playing the second leg of back-to-back games after beating Philadelphia on the road Sunday. The Raptors are also dealing with lineup changes. Fred VanVleet missed the Sixers game, but played against the Bulls. Gray Trent Jr., who scored 32 points the last time he played at the United Center, played Sunday, then missed Monday's game with a hyperextended toe.
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