The Chicago Bulls won in Memphis last night 126-123 over the Ja Morant-less Grizzlies. Chicago made a franchise record 25 three-pointers as part of a massive second half comeback that gave them their second win of the season. A momentum shift created by the Bulls second unit propelled Chicago in the third quarter and a fresh starting group led by Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic was critical in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback and take the game.
Memphis got out to a big lead early but slowly the Bulls were able to take the momentum, first by stopping the bleeding, second by drawing even, and third by exploding in the second half. Improved defense, precise ball movement, and opportunistic shooting helped Chicago get back to .500 on the young season and give the team an adrenaline rush they hope to carry with them in the coming games.
25 Threes Lead the Way For Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls set a franchise record in their 126-123 win in Memphis over the Grizzlies. The Bulls drained 25 three-pointers as part of a comeback win. The starting backcourt of Coby White and Zach LaVine was responsible for ten of those threes and spearheaded the final push in the fourth quarter to cement the comeback victory. LaVine continued his hot start to the season but took a few too many contested shots that stopped the ball on offense unnecessarily later in the game. He led the team in scoring with 30 and shot over 50% for the game but had a handful of unwise shot attempts.
The Memphis defense couldn’t stick with the roving shooters for the Bulls and were frantic for much of the night. Having two Defensive Player of the Year winners on the floor in the form of Marcus Smart and Jaren Jackson Jr. can often make teams stagnant on offense. The shooting threats that the Bulls had out on the floor made ball movement more fluid and natural, leading to better shots and scoring threats.
Big Men Play Huge
The big men got in on the shooting barrage for the Chicago Bulls as well. Nikola Vucevic knocked down four deep balls and drew the Memphis big guys like Jackson and rookie from Purdue Zach Edey out on the perimeter and away from the basket, which allowed playmakers to drive to the hole without fear of getting their shot blocked. Vucevic was one of the bigger play initiators in the game from the top of the key, setting up players on the perimeter with good scoring opportunities and favorable matchups.
When Vucevic wasn’t in the game, Jalen Smith played the five and picked up many of the same duties. Smith has been crucial for the Chicago Bulls at the start of this season, picking up many of the minutes reserved for Andre Drummond in years past. Smith adds a shooting dimension that Drummond did not have though, and that was on display Monday night. Smith knocked down three deep balls on four attempts as part of his stellar performance. In just 12 minutes, Smith had 16 points and 7 rebounds.
Second Unit Sparks Comeback
The Memphis Grizzlies were up by as many as 20 in the first half and went into the break up 14. The turnaround from the Chicago Bulls was led by their second unit, who sparked the comeback with their great defense and big playmaking against the depleted Grizzlies, who were playing without Ja Morant. Jalen Smith had the best outing of anyone on the bench but Ayo Dosumnu had a great game in his role off the bench as well.
With bench players playing for most of the third quarter, the Memphis Grizzlies lead was cut to seven and by the middle of the fourth quarter, the refreshed starters had brought it back and took the lead on a 22-6 run. The bench made its presence known in the game’s final minutes as well, with Dosumnu jarring a ball loose during the final minute to keep the ball in Chicago’s possession and extend the lead from the free throw line.
The Chicago Bulls kept a precarious lead down the stretch and after Josh Giddey only made 2-of-4 free throws, the game hung in the balance. Aside from the free throws Giddey had a great game but the misses gave Memphis’ leading scorer Desmond Bane a chance to tie up the game at the buzzer. He narrowly missed a step-back fadeaway three as time expired that would’ve sent the game to overtime.
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