Bulls can't compete with Suns' array of stars
Several NBA teams have a strange habit after victories. The support staff, sometimes the coaches, stand outside the locker room cheering and high-fiving the players as they head through the hallway back from the court.
It's a million-dollar version of the T-ball parents' tunnel. The Phoenix Suns aren't the only team that does this (the Bulls do not), but they were louder than most on Friday.
"Great job KD. Couldn't be prouder of you Chris Paul. Juice boxes and cupcakes are inside the locker room."
All of those quotes are made up, but they capture the spirit of the moment. And there was plenty to celebrate after Game 2 of the Kevin Durant era resulted in a 125-104 victory over the Bulls.
The Suns certainly brought a winning formula to the United Center. Two superstars who can draw extra defensive attention, then rapid-fire ball movement to find open shooters.
While Devin Booker poured in 35 points, the Bulls dared guys like Josh Okogie and Cameron Payne to beat them at the 3-point line. Sometimes that worked, but Okogie hit 5 3-pointers and scored 25 points. Paul had the easy job, finding open shooters to finish with 11 points and 10 assists.
Durant, playing his second game with the Suns, tallied 20 points in 31 minutes. Before taking the court Wednesday in Charlotte, Durant hadn't played since Jan. 8 due to a right MCL sprain. The Bulls put Patrick Williams back in the starting lineup so he could try guarding Durant, while Alex Caruso came off the bench.
"He is who he is," Williams said of Durant. "I think everybody in the league knows. Everybody who's not in the league knows. He's a household name, been very good for a very long time."
After a strong finish to the second quarter, the Bulls led 64-60 at halftime. The Suns flipped the momentum in the third quarter, but the Bulls were still in it when Ayo Dosunmu opened the fourth with a 3-point play off a steal by Andre Drummond. The free throw brought the Bulls within 94-88, but it never got any closer.
Over the next few minute, the Bulls gave up 5 second-chance points off offensive rebounds, watched Durant knock down a 3, then gave too much help to Durant and left Damion Lee open for a corner 3. Finally, Williams fouled Durant on a 3-point attempt and 3 free throws later, the Suns led by 12.
The final count from the 3-point line was Phoenix going 20 of 47, compared to 7 of 23 for the Bulls.
"I think we need to take more of those (3-pointers) when they're there," Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. "Guys need to let some of those go. But there's also a balance of having efficient possessions where you feel like you're getting good shots."
DeMar DeRozan scored 31 points on 13 of 18 shooting, while Zach LaVine added 27, but they needed more help. The only other player to hit double figures was center Nikola Vucevic with 13.
"We've got to rely on ourselves getting stops," DeRozan said. "The more stops we get, the more opportunities we can get downhill, get easier shots, get to the free-throw line and play our style of basketball."
At the morning shootaround, Vucevic addressed the on-court disagreement he had with Patrick Beverley in Wednesday's win at Detroit.
"It was way blown out of proportion," Vucevic said. "It was honestly no big deal at all."
Beverley got beat off the dribble by Pistons rookie Jaden Ivey and fouled to prevent a layup. Vucevic didn't see the play happening because he said he was focused on a defensive call designed to prevent Bojan Bogdanovich from getting loose at the 3-point line.
"I know some stuff on defense is not the strongest part of my game," Vucevic told reporters at shootaround. "But there is some stuff I do really well defensively. It's something I've very aware of. I know what my limitations are on the floor and I try to stick to my strengths."
Caruso receives honor: Bulls guard Alex Caruso received the NBA Cares Community Assist Award for the month of January for his efforts to address food insecurity, provide essential items for those in need and create memorable experiences for kids. One of the events he hosted was an indoor golf competition featuring teams from four Chicago high schools.
Jones gets promotion: The Bulls promoted point guard Carlik Jones from a two-way to full-time NBA contract Friday. He'll fill the roster spot vacated by Goran Dragic. Earlier in the day, Jones was named G-League player of the month for February, when he averaged 27.5 points, 8.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds for the Windy City Bulls.
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