Lonzo was Ballin'.
Yes, so happy to finally use that one.
And Lonzo Ball was having a ball with the ball Wednesday as the Bulls balled out, as it were, with a 117-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Ball finished with a season high 21 points, making seven for ten three pointers—who said he couldn't shoot? Oh, right, the 1-11 Pelicans—with six rebounds and six assists. Zach LaVine was high scorer with 23 points on an efficient eight of 12 and efficacious 360-degree dunk that finally left the Mavericks circling the game's drain.
Nikola Vucevic began to see the light in his mission with eight of 14 shooting for 18 points and ten rebounds. DeMar DeRozan had a mid-range scoring game with 17 points on seven of 20 shooting, but seven rebounds, six assists and second high plus/minus rating to Ball. And Alex Caruso represented the reserves with 16 points with three of four on three pointers and six steals.
So as the Bulls take off for San Francisco for Friday's game with the Warriors, the Bulls are tied for first in the Eastern Conference at 8-3, have the league's highest scoring duo with LaVine and DeRozan, are fourth overall in the NBA in defensive efficiency and first in the Eastern Conference, where the Bulls also are fractionally behind for second in margin of victory.
Zach LaVine capped off his night with a 360 slam in the fourth quarter.
Which apparently caught the eye of the Mavericks' Tim Hardaway Jr., who told Dallas media after the game, "All I can say is the Bulls are back, man."
"We have games here and there where we're just kind of finding ways to win and I think that's the sign of a good team," said Caruso. "But I think we have a lot of ways to get better. I think that's probably the most encouraging thing for me. We've got a lot of games to go; 8-3?"
Back? he was asked.
"Eleven games into the season, I don't think you could say anybody's ‘back,' said Caruso. "Especially for the prestige of the Bulls. Like, they won three championships in a row twice. Being back, that's a big statement."
But these Bulls are quietly making some big statements around the NBA as they prepare for that next big test, a five-game Western Conference road trip. The East is jumbled with the Heat, 76ers and Bucks barely behind and the Bulls sharing first place with, of all teams, the Washington Wizards. So Vegas can relax for now and not have to worry about paying off those long odds quite yet.
Not to get too comfortable because the Bulls have done this with starter Patrick Williams going out and top scoring reserve Coby White still not back yet. But this Bulls run, or at least start, has the whiff of authenticity and longevity because few of those preseason questions/concerns have resonated discordance.
LaVine and DeRozan, as DeRozan chided, have gone together like mac and cheese. Even when LaVine puts some mustard on, like with his round the world slam dunk with 1:50 left in the game and the Bulls sending Luka Doncic to the bench with 20 points (six of 18 Ball and Caruso enforced shooting), 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic had 20 points, eight rebounds, and ten assists but was held to just 6-of-18 shooting from the floor.
Though the play wasn't significant in the outcome of the game, it was perhaps symbolically with LaVine demanding his respect from the officials after they'd missed a foul—"I'm Zach LaVine and going to the playoffs and you're not!"—as LaVine stayed back to make his point. And get a technical foul. And then make two points that looked like more.
"I saw two guys trailing in," explained Caruso, who broke up an interior pass and was down on the court to retrieve the ball.
"Wasn't as much of a dive as it was kind of a tackle," Caruso joked. "Ended up with the ball and just got it to Vooch and ‘Zo, incredible passer, QB 1 throwing that pass to Zach and then Zach doing what he does. Good play to cap off the win."
Sounds simple enough, but the plays represent that identity Bulls coach Billy Donovan has talked about and these players have proven adept at performing.
Caruso is the tenacious distraction that now in consecutive games has helped James Harden and Luka Doncic look less like MVPs than Lost in Space. He's among the league leaders in steals for the kind of defense that Donovan has urged, not so much concerned with size as alacrity.
"I think our guys did a good job of playing fast off misses," said Donovan. "Alex was a big part of that in the second half and made some timely shots that broke some momentum for them and gave us some energy and life. Defensively, he came up with a lot of steals. We've got to rely on our defense and being physical and aggressive and getting out in transition to generate some easy baskets."
Tap to watch highlights from Chicago's 117-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
The critics questioned the Bulls lack of interior size with Vucevic and Tony Bradley off the bench. Kristaps Porzingis led Dallas with 22 points, but despite being the tallest person in the building he mostly plays a smallish 20 feet from the basket. Several times Vucevic posted and pushed him aside and drop stepped to scores. The Bulls are smaller, but their defense-to-offense that Donovan cherishes relies on that quickness that could be encumbered by adding someone lumbering. Hey, you've still got to get to the playoffs first.
The Bulls had nine steals and 16 fast break points, finally shooting well from three at 15 for 31 while bothering the three frequent Mavs into 12 of 33 flailing on threes. The Mavs did miss several wide open corner threes as the Bulls concentrated more on closing the lane against Doncic, who did have a few lob scores and a clever behind the back dribble scoring play. But he plays with an inferior roster compared to the Bulls' multiple All-Stars and unselfish play with 26 assists. Though none more than the six for Ball and DeRozan.
"The way we play, the guy who's open usually gets the ball," commended Caruso, who already was getting Los Angeles media on the Zoom post game interview preparing for his triumphant return this weekend. "We run stuff for Zach, DeMar, Vooch, but part of being a great team is the depth we have. The other night it was Ayo (Dosunmu) off the bench, had 14, 15 points. Tonight, I came off the bench had 14, 15 points. That's the great part about our team that we have bench guys who can do a lot of different things. The other night I didn't score a lot, but I did some intangible things that helped win the game. Tonight those others guys, DJ (Derrick Jones Jr.), Alize (Johnson with seven rebounds in 10 minutes to counter Porzingis), Tony Bradley, Ayo, they all did a bunch of stuff that impacted the game.
"I thought Vooch did good job of not settling when he had advantages in the post," Caruso added. "Vooch is one of those guys who will never complain; goes out and does his job every day. Happy for him to have a couple of games when he started to shoot well. I never was worried about it, but that's just another weapon for us. You pretty much know you are going to have four guys in the starting lineup to score double figures every night; it's up to us on bench to find whose night it is;
"I think we're really unselfish even with three guys pushing 20 points per game," said Caruso. "If guys see someone open they're going to hit him; that's encouraging for us moving forward."
With that, Caruso passed the post game podium to Ball with a chiding, "Wow, Lonzo seven for 10 from three."
It was another assist and indication of the smooth camaraderie that exists with this group despite the summer shotgun marriage. They came from 213, 210 and 504, but they play all for one and one for all.
"Today I was feeling good," said Ball. "Just go out there and play as hard as I can."
Perhaps Lonzo is just accustomed to listening.
He's polite and cooperative in sessions with media, more formal this season again because of Covid restrictions, but not nearly as expansive as, for example, his shooting.
Lonzo Ball celebrates after hitting one of his seven threes against Dallas.
Once known for virtually blocking his own shot by putting his hand in front of his face when he shot, Ball has become an elite three-point shooter at about 45 percent this season.
"I like the way he's playing; he's playing like himself," said Caruso. "We need him to play like that for us to be a good team. He's kind of the catalyst that starts that first unit. We know Zach and DeMar and Vooch, we know what you're going to get from them. Him playing with his pace, being a pest on defense and stretching the floor is really good for our team."
And so it was to start the game as the Bulls took a 24-13 lead with Ball making a pair of threes. Vucevic and LaVine complemented and complimented him, though other than Caruso it wasn't a great game for the reserves as they were primarily in the game when the Mavericks took a 33-32 lead after one quarter with a closing 20-8 first quarter run. And there to start the second quarter when Dallas lurched ahead 46-39.
Though the hustle again offset the height as the Bulls out rebounded Dallas and stole eight offensive rebounds past slow footed Mavs players that accounted for 15 points. Jones and Johnson had six of the eight, which is why the return of Coby White will be important. The reserves can hustle, but they can't always finish.
Though this game it was Caruso.
"I got a couple of catch and shoot shots, tried to be aggressive," he explained. "I don't really force on offense. We've got guys we play through, 25-plus point scorers we run offense for and I try to play my role. But part of me being aggressive is playing off them. Tonight the ball just found me a couple of times. I made a couple of them, (then) got to get the third, fourth and fifth one up, just tried to be aggressive when I had the ball."
DeRozan despite some unfriendly bounces off the rim had a sweet zig zag move for a score to end the first quarter, and then, uh oh, LaVine drew a third foul early in the second quarter. But Donovan stayed with him, he said, because he likes to retain momentum for a player. LaVine complied with a run of seven straight Bulls points following that third foul, a runout score on another of those touchdown Bill Walton/Wes Unseld passes, and then Ball for another three off a Javonte Green hustling offensive rebound among three Mavs players. Making it 61-54 Bulls at halftime.
"Used to do that a lot when I was (younger)," Ball said of the long throws. "Never left my game."
And the three is back as Ball made a longer one early in the third quarter after a Vucevic step through move score, LaVine probing the interior for a score, Ball even farther out for yet another three and then LaVine splitting two defenders and driving in for a reverse score. Making it 80-71 Bulls as Maverick didn't suggest much iconoclasm even now at 7-4.
Caruso was the surprising one with a three pointer that began a run of 11 late third quarter points and a pair of steals for him in four minutes, Dallas down 95-80 after three. And just about out. Caruso opened the fourth quarter with another three and it was pretty much all over but the 360.
"We're moving in the right direction," said Ball. "For us, it's just one game at a time. Like I said, it's a brand new team. We're trying to build a new culture here. And 8-3 is not too bad."
Don't need a crystal ball for that. A Cinderella story? These guys look like they're going to the ball.
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