Look, I’m still not going there on vacation, but if the Cleveland Cavaliers can somehow beat the Washington Wizards tonight, I’ll consider passing through on a road trip.
• The Chicago Bulls continued to pull their weight on Thursday night with a dominant – and expected – victory over the
Toronto Tampa Bay Raptors. The team shot an easy 54.2 percent from the field and 47.2 percent from downtown. Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine did what they had to do, but they also let guys like Coby White and Lauri Markkanen run the show. The two role players combined for 37 points and 12 rebounds. White also finished the game with 10 assists (his third double-digit assist night on the season), while Markkanen shot 6-9 (nice) from behind the arc. It’s good to see these two dudes eat.
Is this for what Joakim Noah said? Because he was right. He was always right.
Fought to the finish.
• The Bulls would have gotten some big-time help if the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off the upset victory over the Indiana Pacers, but here we are (for more on that standings, check out our Scorebroad Watching post from Monday). Despite holding a double-digit lead and having three starters with 19 or more points, the Cavaliers 8-man rotation couldn’t finish the job at home. Now, Indiana sits back in 10th place with a 3.0 game advantage over Chicago. The Pacers do have a tough schedule ahead (76ers, Bucks, Lakers, Raptors), but the Bulls would need them to lose out while going 3-1 to stand a chance. Considering the Raptors have thrown in the towel and the Nets and Bucks make up three of the Bulls’ next four games, themselves, that feels almost impossible.
I present to you … buckets:
Zach LaVine and Nik Vucevic lift @chicagobulls!@ZachLaVine: 30 PTS, 6 AST@NikolaVucevic: 29 PTS, 16 REB pic.twitter.com/lmcb69xVRE
• Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic did what they needed to do against a last-place Detroit Pistons team last night, combining for 59 points on a 55 percent shooting performance from the field. LaVine added 6 assists and Vucevic grabbed 16 rebounds. Since both returned against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, the team has now won three straight games by a combined margin of 55 points. The offense has been firing on all cylinders, and it’s been thanks to the growing chemistry between these two All-Stars. The chance at cracking the play-in tournament might still end up out of reach, but these are the kinds of performances we should be encouraged by regardless of the end-of-season result. These are the kinds of win streaks that can help sell free agents in the upcoming offseason and help the Bulls top-two players better
The Win Over the Hornets Was Fun and All, But the Bulls Play-in Chances Are Still Very Bad
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The Win Over the Hornets Was Fun and All, But the Bulls Play-in Chances Are Still Very Bad
Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic returned to the floor on Thursday night to help the Bulls snap a four-game skid. Considering how dominant the team looked in that 120-99 victory, I don’t blame anyone for having a revitalized interest in a potential postseason berth. But don’t hold your breath.
While the Bulls had a shot to gain ground on in the play-in tournament race last night, the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards had other plans. The two teams who sit with the 9th and 10th seeds won both their games. The Pacers now hold a 4.5 game lead over the Bulls for the 9th seed, while the Wizards are 4.0 games in front in the 10th spot. With that being the case, 670 The Score’s Jeff Mangurten pointed out the very difficult equation the Bulls will have to solve to crack the play-in t