What happens when a very stoppable force meets an extremely movable object?
That was the question the Chicago Bulls answered in Tuesday’s 127-108 win over the Washington Wizards, as the NBA’s third-worst defense met its second-worst offense. The Bulls got the better of the matchup to improve to 2-1 in the NBA Cup group stage, although they still couldn’t hold the Wizards under 100 points.
Seven players scored in double digits, led by Coby White with 21 points. Nikola Vučević tallied another double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Here are four takeaways from the win.
1. The Bulls defense met its match.
The defensive status for the Bulls has regressed from concerning to downright debilitating in the last two weeks. They had the NBA’s third-worst defensive rating (118.2) entering Tuesday, and their 123.7 rating over the previous five games was the worst in the league in that span.
Tuesday’s game offered an opportunity to build a bit of defensive confidence against one of the NBA’s weakest offenses. The Wizards came in ranked 26th in the league in scoring and were missing leading scorer Jordan Poole, who sat out with a hip injury.
After a slow offensive start, the Bulls grinded the Wizards offense to a halt in the second quarter, during which Washington made only eight shots and scored 18 points as the Bulls surged to a 14-point halftime lead.
The Bulls shifted to a zone defense for portions of the quarter, and while they struggled to rotate consistently enough to maximize that defense, it didn’t matter much against the Wizards, who turned the ball over six times in the quarter.
The Bulls sent the Wizards to the free-throw line 19 times in the third quarter, and they made 15 to help them to creep back within 12 points. But that couldn’t make up for the toothlessness of the Wizards offense.
Washington grabbed only four offensive rebounds in the entire game, giving the Bulls an advantage in second-chance opportunities. And the Wizards shot only 10-for-37 (27%) from 3-point range, failing to capitalize on a similarly low-scoring night from long range by the Bulls.
2. The offense found its footing without 3s.
While high-volume 3-point shooting has been a cornerstone of this year’s high-scoring offense, the Bulls have been challenged in recent games to invigorate their offense when they start out slow behind the arc.
Tuesday night was another such occasion as the Bulls opened 1-for-13 from long range in the first quarter, with Zach LaVine providing the lone make.
The 3-point shooting never fully ignited, although White drained a trio of 3s in the third quarter and LaVine added two. The Bulls finished 14-for-40 behind the arc, still a sizable increase from last season.
But against the second-worst defense in the league, the Bulls were able to find other scoring outlets — feeding Vučević and Jalen Smith in the paint, attacking the rim with White. The Bulls logged a rare edge from close range, outscoring the Wizards 60-46 in the paint as they shot 61% inside the arc.
3. Julian Phillips anchored the reserves.
With Lonzo Ball and Patrick Williams still sidelined by injuries, Ayo Dosunmu shifted into the starting lineup — an important promotion for Dosunmu but a notable loss for the bench that typically looks to Dosunmu to power its scoring.
The bench, though, balanced out a lukewarm shooting night for the Bulls by providing 46 of their 127 points. Smith nearly tallied a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Talen Horton-Tucker went 5-for-6 from the field and finished with 13 points.
Although Dalen Terry was the first player off the bench for the Bulls, Phillips ultimately anchored the second unit after returning from a brief illness absence. Phillips had eight points and five rebounds while playing some of the Bulls’ most consistent defense.
Matas Buzelis stepped up in place of Dosunmu, another important step for the rookie who earned meager minutes in his first month. After playing 30 minutes Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies, Buzelis earned another full rotation in Washington.
While Buzelis still struggled on the defensive end — routinely missing back cuts to allow easy looks at the rim — he tallied a block and a steal that showed his ability to create chaos for opponents. And his offensive growth was visible as he scored nine points in 17 minutes.
4. Where the Bulls stand in the NBA Cup.
The Bulls’ second consecutive win in East Group C has them tied for the top spot with the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics at 2-1. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 1-1 and the Wizards 0-3.
To advance to the quarterfinals in Las Vegas, the Bulls will need to beat the Celtics on Friday at the United Center. That, combined with a Hawks victory over the Cavaliers on Friday, would make the Bulls the group winner based on their head-to-head win over the Hawks.
Or if the Bulls and Cavaliers win Friday but then the Cavs get upset by the Wizards next Tuesday, the Bulls would be the outright group winner as the only 3-1 team.
If the Bulls and Cavs both finish 3-1, Cleveland would would win the group based on head-to-head, and the Bulls would need to win the point-differential tiebreaker versus other 3-1 non-winners to earn the lone Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Tuesday’s win improved their differential to plus-15.
