Don't look now, but the Chicago Bulls are 10th in the Eastern Conference race
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Battling for a spot in the play-in tournament was never the plan for a Chicago Bulls squad that had aspirations of improving on their first-round exit last season. Yet, here they are in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, half a game ahead of the Washington Wizards and the Indiana Pacers and half a game behind the Toronto Raptors for ninth place.
Two straight wins
After defeating the Houston Rockets on Saturday with a score of 119-111, the Bulls have now won two in a row to improve to 31-36. In what has become a trend on the offensive side of the ball, wingman Zach LaVine got going and finished with 36 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. The UCLA product is averaging more than 31 points per game after the All-Star break, which according to Bulls coach Billy Donovan, bodes well for this team's chances of making it to the postseason.
"Since the All-Star break we've been much better (offensively)," Donovan said. "I've said this many times. When he is aggressive and playing downhill and taking catch and shoots it's great. Probably at the end of the year (he) is going to shoot close to 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three. When he does that and is decisive, it opens things for everyone because he's unselfish; he'll spray the ball out."
Tough road ahead
A lot can still happen in the last 15 games of this season, and Donovan and the Bulls have a few days to practice and prepare for a long stretch of games ahead. They will be taking on elite teams like the Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, and the Milwaukee Bucks.
"Our schedule is challenging," Donovan shared. "We come out of this and have a few days when we can practice, which will be good. But then you have Sacramento, Minnesota, Miami, Philly twice, so we've just to focus on us."
"We've just got to keep getting better and focusing on us. That's the most important thing. A lot can happen in 15 games. I've never been a big believer in sitting around and hoping someone else drops some games; we've got to worry about us."
