3 takeaways as the Bulls creep closer to 8th place in the Eastern Conference with a win
The Bulls won their third consecutive game Sunday, beating the Charlotte Hornets 131-117 on the road. It wasn't a major test for the Bulls — the Hornets were one of the lightest opponents for the Bulls this season, ranking second-to-last in the Eastern Conference with a 19-58 record. The Hornets shot just 26.7% from 3-point range against the Bulls, relying heavily on center Mark Williams to shoulder scoring.
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But with only four games left in the regular season, the win was still crucial for the Bulls. After winning their 20th road game of the season, the Bulls are on track to host their first play-in tournament game — and could even jockey with the rest of their Eastern Conference play-in competitors for higher seeding in the postseason.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
1. Coby White and Patrick Williams showed out for hometown crowds.
Games in North Carolina always mean a little more for Coby White and Patrick Williams, who get the chance to play in front of hometown crowds. Williams grew up in Charlotte while White grew up three hours away in Goldsboro — and both players brought in large crowds of friends and family for Sunday's game.
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White continued a ferocious streak of scoring in Charlotte, ripping off 37 points while going 6 for 8 from behind the 3-point arc. He has scored 30 or more points in seven games since the All-Star break.
While Williams lost his starting role to Matas Buzelis earlier in the season, he provided a consistent boost off the bench. He tallied 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting while playing the sixth man role for the Bulls.
2. The Bulls are keeping up the pace.
No team in the league is playing faster than the Bulls right now. The Bulls logged the highest pace score (104.75 plays per game) over the last 10 games before Sunday's win in Charlotte. This outstrips every other team in the league, including uptempo teams like Toronto and Memphis.
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And the Bulls weren't slowing down against the Hornets, where they relied heavily on fast breaks and open-court scoring. They outscored the Hornets 26-5 in fast break points as every player — from Matas Buzelis to Talen Horton-Tucker — spurred the fast break through full-court passes and coast-to-coast drives.
3. Lonzo Ball is still unavailable.
With only four games left in the regular season, Lonzo Ball still has not been cleared to play with a sprained left wrist that has kept him sidelined since Feb. 28.
The Bulls were hopeful that Ball would be available for Friday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers, but he was ultimately held out of both games this weekend. Coach Billy Donovan previously said the Bulls will not shut Ball down at any point of the regular season or postseason. The guard will continue to attempt to reduce discomfort and inflammation to reach a point where he can play through the injury.
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Despite making a recovery from an unprecedented knee surgery, Ball has played only 35 games this season due to this wrist sprain. If he is able to return, he will be a crucial piece for the Bulls in the postseason as they attempt to make their first berth from the play-in tournament to the first round of the playoffs.
Playoff push
With their win in Charlotte, the Bulls took a full game lead over the Miami Heat to hold the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Heat dropped a 121-115 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday as they sank into a two-game losing skid. Moving up to eighth would allow the Bulls to potentially advance with only one play-in tournament win — and the opportunity to play the second seed rather than the top-ranked Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.
The Atlanta Hawks were slated to play the Utah Jazz later Sunday evening, a game that could bring them even with the Bulls in the race for the eighth seed in the East. The Bulls will need to fully surpass the Hawks — who have the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage — to jump up to eighth in the East.
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