Bulls maintain perfect preseason record with win over Cavaliers

A leviathan nearly fell on Sunday night in Cleveland, Ohio.

But fear not. The 2021 Chicago Bulls, who came into play with a league-best net plus-32.5 in two preseason games, narrowly escaped Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse with a 102-101 win, wearing their record in exhibition match at 3-0.

Here are seven notes:

1. Billy Donovan continued to increase the minutes of his key players.

The Bulls clearly appreciate their starters playing together as much as it is prudent during the preseason.

After increasing the minutes of his key players from the first 20 minutes of the first game to 24-28 in the second game, Lonzo Ball (34), Zach LaVine (30), DeMar DeRozan (31) and Nikola Vučević (30) all played between 30 and 34 minutes in this one. Donovan ended his starters at 8:37 of the fourth quarter with his team ahead of 86-82.

As promised ahead of the game, Donovan also experimented with LaVine shifted alongside the team’s reserves instead of DeRozan.

2. Derrick Jones Jr. impressed with increased rotational role.

Derrick Jones Jr.’s first round of rotation came halfway through the first quarter – earlier than against the Pelicans, when, on his preseason debut, he checked halfway through the third.

In turn, he landed a majestic transition dunk, knocked down a layup and one (on which he missed the free throw) and finished the first half with six points and two rebounds in eight minutes.

Jones returned with the starters (minus Javonte Green and DeRozan, plus Alex Caruso) in the third quarter, athletically finished another lob and had a noticeable impact on the team’s pace and activity level after taking some late in the middle of the period.

His night also included minutes in the fourth quarter and ended with a final 10-point stat line, four rebounds and an assist. He made four of his seven field goal attempts, missing both tries by 3 points.

Stanley Johnson, who introduced himself as the team’s second-row forward against New Orleans, was not seen running until cleanup time.

3. Even the stars have preseason rust.

After shooting 7 for 18 from the field and 0 for 5 on 3 points against the Pelicans, Nikola Vučević noted that at the start of the season he often needed to get rid of the rust from outside shots.

That persisted in a 3v12 outing against Cleveland, which featured a few misses and another 0-fer from a distance, this time 0-for-3.

No one – not Donovan, or Vučević, or anyone – is worried about Vučević’s reach, or the rare four personal faults he made in the first half. The Bulls continued to feature him on screen and look for him in the post. That’s what the preseason is for.

4. DeMar DeRozan got to work in the second half.

DeRozan also seemed to shake off the rust early on, committing three turnovers and being passed for a dunk by Markkanen in the first half.

But he started the third quarter by copying mid-range jumpers spinning above Markkanen and Okoro, then took that momentum to 11 points in the third quarter. He added another five points in the fourth on a driving dunk and a 3-point shot to finish with a high of 23.

Included in this total was a 2 for 2 mark behind the arc. A rarity for DeRozan.

5. The Bulls may have found something in Alize Johnson.

Alize Johnson has taken on the (undersized) save center role as Tony Bradley heals a low back strain that has kept him out of the first three preseason games.

It’s probably not a permanent role for Johnson, who is 6 feet 7 inches tall. But he continues to exhibit a rare energy and penchant for bustle games in his minutes.

In the first half, Johnson scored seven points and three rebounds on a perfect 3-for-3 shot. Even with a sizeable deficit, he possesses a soft touch on the boards and the ability to burrow into defenders and finish in contact with the basket.

In the second half, he added seven more points and five boards to finish with 14 points, 11 rebounds (three offensives) and one steal. On one play, he sprinted from the baseline into the backcourt to secure a loose ball. On another, he inhaled an offensive rebound over 7-foot-5 Tacko Fall and 6-foot-9 Dean Wade, then fired two free throws. And by the end of the night, he had committed five personal fouls, including one while seeking a position with the Fall on the block long after each coach had emptied their benches.

Needless to say, as a reserve he has a mentality that could stick.

6. The Bulls’ intensity has waned.

For the third straight preseason game, the Bulls stole double-digit steals, scoring 10 against the Cavaliers. Lonzo Ball continued to lead the way in this category, catching three to tie Vučević for a team top.

But for the most part, the team’s defense was not as strong as it was in the last two games. Cleveland shot 47.7% and got plenty of easy attacks in transition, back-cuts and failed theft attempts.

Overall, it was a slow, back-and-forth affair against a team the Bulls increased by 36 points just five days ago. Donovan pointed to the lack of physique on both sides as the crux of the matter, citing a lack of strength to fight through screens on the defensive side, and a lack of urgency downhill and fouling offensively. LaVine later agreed.

“I thought we were back on our heels,” Donovan said. “I thought that whatever required a certain level of aggression, they (the Cavaliers) won this battle.”

Even playing without their starting backcourt of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, the Cavaliers played with pride. Donovan said after the game that he hopes the Bulls’ struggles will serve as a lesson.

7. Ayo Dosunmu had ice in his veins.

Unlike their first two preseason games, the Bulls’ best players didn’t come away with a garish advantage, leaving their reserves to snatch eventual victory.

In the end, it was the team’s 2021 second-round pick, Ayo Dosunmu, that led the way, as he so often did during his three-year tenure at the University of Illinois. Dosunmu scored nine points on a 4-on-7 shot in seven minutes in the fourth quarter and pierced back-to-back buckets in the final 41 seconds of the game to seal it.

“He has no fear at all, offensively or defensively,” LaVine said of Dosunmu. “Dude is cold as a stone. Don’t care about the situation. By entering it, he will play thoroughly. He showed it. He almost won us the game. “

Next up: The Bulls will look to go 4-0 in the preseason at home on Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies.

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