Eastern Conference Recaps, April 9: DeMar DeRozan And Zach LaVine Helped The Chicago Bulls Defeat The Detroit Pistons

The Chicago Bulls seem like they are prepared for the play-in tournament.

Behind DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, the Bulls secured a 103-81 victory against the Detroit Pistons. They were the only starters to score in double-figures as LaVine had 17 and DeRozan 16.

“You gotta be composed,” DeRozan said regarding the play-in tournament game. “The time on the clock is really your season. You just have to focus on the moment and understand you have to get past that test first.”

Killian Hayes scored 26 points for the Pistons and rookie Jaden Ivey recorded 16.

OTHER NOTES:

-The Toronto Raptors’ 121-105 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks gave them a 41-41 record, the second time in franchise history. Gary Trent led them with 23 points and Malachi Flynn scored 20. With Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined a second straight game due to a knee injury, Bobby Portis scored 16 points and Lindell Wigginton had 17 off the bench.

-Despite a huge performance from Brooklyn Nets’ Cam Thomas, the Philadelphia 76ers took a 134-105 victory. Shake Milton, Mac McClung, and Louis King led them with 20 points. Thomas scored 46 points for the Nets while David Duke had 15 off the bench.

-Payton Pritchard’s first career triple-double helped the Boston Celtics secure a 120-114 victory against the Atlanta Hawks. He recorded 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. He also had nine 3-pointers, the most since Feb. 11, 2021.

Garrison Mathews and Bruno Fernando led the Hawks with 19 points off the bench.

-The Charlotte Hornets outscored the Cleveland Cavaliers 36-20 in the fourth quarter to take a 106-95 victory. Bryce McGowens led the way with 22 points while Mark Williams had 22 points and 10 rebounds. Theo Maledon scored 18 and Svi Mykhailiuk recorded 16. Sam Merrill recorded 17 points off the bench to lead the Cavaliers.

-Rookie Bennedict Mathurin scored 26 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 141-136 victory against the New York Knicks. Jordan Nwora had 19 and George Hill led all reserves with 17. Obi Toppin scored 34 points for the Knicks and Immanuel Quickley had 30.

-The Houston Rockets’ second-half rally helped them secure a 114-109 victory against the Washington Wizards. Rookie Jabari Smith led the way with 20 points and rookie Tari Eason scored 16 off the bench.

Jordan Goodwin led the Wizards with 22 points and rookie Quenton Jackson had 19 off the bench.

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.