Takeaways & Player Grades – Chicago Bulls 129, Charlotte Hornets 126

The Chicago Bulls pulled off a much-needed win and snapped their seven-game skid on Friday night. Let's talk about what went right and hand out a few player grades!

Three Takeaways

Trying Something New

The healthiest they have been in weeks, Billy Donovan decided to shake things up. Many wondered what might happen to Jalen Smith's minutes with Zach Collins back in the mix. With both players healthy for the first time this year, Donovan opted for an entirely new look early in the second quarter. He had Smith lined up at power forward next to Collins, running the Bulls' largest five-man group of the season.

Joining the two big men were Matas Buzelis, Dalen Terry, and Josh Giddey. To be sure, this lineup didn't last long, but Donovan's tinkering did. Buzelis continued to clock his fair share of minutes at small forward and played alongside Patrick Williams. Dalen Terry was also shocking, seeing minutes as the primary ball-handler with Okoro at the two. The role was something we haven't really seen him play since his days at Arizona.

The extra-long lineup did force a few impressive stops, but the offense was unsurprisingly hard to come by at times. Still, the creativity was a welcome sight considering the circumstances, and it seemed to help keep the energy high. The Bulls looked a lot more engaged in this game, and Donovan's lineup flexibility really proved to pay off in the second half.

Miles Bridges Nearly Took the Game Over

The Chicago Bulls shot 57.5 percent in the first half and 5-12 from downtown. Yet, they were still down 61-55 going into the halftime break. Why? Well, aside from their 10 turnovers, their defense simply didn't have an answer for Miles Bridges.

The power forward was getting just about anything he wanted in the halfcourt over the first two frames. He dropped 20 points on 8-12 shooting, and this included a 4-6 showing from behind the arc. The veteran scored 11 of the team's final 14 points in the second quarter.

Fortunately for the Bulls, however, Bridges cooled off in the second half. He failed to knock down another triple and only added 12 points over the final two frames. Limiting him and tightening up the defense was a big reason why they walked out of this one with the win.

Role Players Step Up

Something changed in the third quarter. The Chicago Bulls started to channel their early-season self, leaning heavily on their newfound health. The team rattled off a 17-7 run to bring the game within a single possession, and they largely had their experimental double-big lineup to thank for that.

From here, it felt like a whole new game. The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair, but Billy Donovan continued to lean on his supporting cast. Several role players came up with enormous buckets, helping Chicago go on a 29-13 run to eventually take the lead. Isaac Okoro – who sat out the last eight games with a back injury – was the one to cut to the rim and finish a tough and-one to give Chicago the 101-99 advantage. Then, on the next trip down the floor, he drained another big layup off the Josh Giddey feed.

Once the Hornets reclaimed the lead a couple of minutes later, it was Okoro who put the Bulls on top once again. Zach Collins and Tre Jones also each came up with huge shots with under 2 minutes to go. Collins drained an 18-footer, while Jones shockingly rocked the rim with a cutting slam to put the Bulls up 122-117.

Collins even came up with the huge defensive stand to close things out ... kinda. His closeout on Kon Knueppel was initially called a foul behind the arc, but a review led to the officials overturning the call. If the call stood, the rookie would have had a chance to tie things at the free-throw line with 10 seconds to go.

Nevertheless, depth was a major part of what made this team successful early on this season, and it proved to be exactly why they finally snapped their seven-game skid tonight. Nikola Vucevic didn't play a minute in the fourth quarter because of how effective the reserves were.

Bonus Takeaway: The Bulls finished with a season-high 80 points in the paint. Their previous season-high also came against the Hornets (74), but they lost that game due to a massive discrepency behind the arc. While they still lost the battle from downtown, their 56.0 percent shooting effort and relentless pressure at the rim, which led to more free throws, proved to solve the math problem.

Five Chicago Bulls Player Grades

Josh Giddey – A
Stats: 26 PTS, 11 AST, 7 REB

Josh Giddey was the steady hand tonight. He kept the Bulls engaged and provided a very efficient 10-17 performance from the field.

Zach Collins – A-
Stats: 16 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK

Billy Donovan leaned on Zach Collins down the stretch, and rightfully so. The Bulls are happy to have the big man back in the fold, as his physicality was much-needed.

Isaac Okoro – A-
Stats: 15 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST

While Isaac Okoro provided some energetic defense, it was actually his offensive hustle that was the most effective tonight. He was a huge part of their clutch finish.

Patrick Williams – B+
Stats: 16 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK

Patrick Williams looked happy to be back in his home state. The forward was the most aggressive we've seen him this season on both sides of the ball. He shot 6-8 from the field and drained three triples.

Nikola Vucevic – D+
Stats: 13 PTS, 4 AST, 3 REB

The Chicago Bulls needed so much more from Nikola Vucevic against an inexperienced Hornets team. He looked frustrated and lost, which led to a full benching in the second half by Billy Donovan.