5 HRS AGO - Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Anthony Davis had himself a night Well that was a bummer. Tonight against the visiting Los Angeles Lakers, our Chicago Bulls looked absolutely outmatched from the jump. With D’Angelo Russell back following a two-game absence and LeBron James wisely moved back into the starting lineup (albeit on a minutes restriction), Los Angeles had a much more well-rounded two-way night than they did in the two teams’ prior encounter Sunday, a 118-108 Bulls victory. A key strategic shift was Lakers head coach Darvin Ham’s decision to double-team Chicago’s best scorers, wings DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, especially off pick-and-roll actions. As a result, the Bulls were forced to take a bunch of jumpers, to middling results. Chicago did launch significantly more triples (33) than Los Angeles (20), although thanks in part to a poor long-range shooting night from Zach and Patrick Williams (a combined 0-for-7), the Bulls only made two more than LA did Collapse

2 DAYS AGO - Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images Can Da Bulls beat a more talented LA team a second night in a row? After a surprisingly good 118-108 win (coughed-up leads aside) against a solid and fairly whole Los Angeles Lakers club yesterday, our Chicago Bulls are hoping that lightning can strike two days in a row at Crypto.com Arena, where they will try their darnedest to fend off Kawhi Leonard’s Los Angeles Clippers. Yesterday against the Lakers, the Bulls’ perimeter defense — led by the Patricks and Alex Caruso — effectively stuck with Los Angeles players on pick-and-roll actions, which limited a lot of the Lakers’ offensive attack. On offense yesterday, Chicago performed surprisingly well, even without Nikola Vucevic for all of the second half, following a pretty flimsy ejection (Andre Drummond and Derrick Jones Jr. stepped up in his absence). As a team, Chicago connected on 54% of its field goals (including 45% of its triples), and dished out for 32 dimes (against just nine Collapse

5 DAYS AGO - Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images Blazers could be without three starters Today, our 34-38 Chicago Bulls travel to the Mood Center to face off against the 32-40 Portland Trail Blazers. 3.5 games behind the four Western Conference teams with an identical 36-37 record and ranked from the ninth through the 12th seeds, the 13th-seeded Trail Blazers appear destined to sink into the NBA lottery this season after all, and thus would keep the lottery-protected pick they owe Chicago. Despite being on the road and most likely missing their top defender Alex Caruso and their best overall player and lone All-Star, small forward DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls should still win. The Vegas odds reflect that, favoring Chicago by two points tonight. That’s because Portland appears to be more or less throwing in the towel on the 2022-23 season. The Blazers will be missing at least two starters tonight, probably three, and maybe as many as four, in addition to a few role players. Portland has gone Collapse

7 DAYS AGO - #PatBevEffect The Bulls beat Joel Embiid for the first time ever after losing 12 straight games against him, extending their overall winning streak to three in the process with a double-overtime thriller against the Sixers. As the Bulls tighten their grip on a play-in spot, Jason and Ricky discuss whether this surge since signing Patrick Beverley is for real and what it means for the rest of this season and beyond. Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast is part of the Blue Wire Podcast Network.The pod can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts. Collapse

3/20/2023 - David Banks-USA TODAY Sports can the Bulls finally beat Embiid? I don’t know why I am getting upset that people paid to come up with storylines for this season (some directly by the team itself) are doing just that. Viscerally, reading about how the Bulls are a different team with Patrick Beverley (7-4, with 2 very close losses nevermind those close wins) and have great net ratings since his arrival (blowing out the Nets by 60 points helps the differential), makes me twitchy, as if somehow Arturas Karnisovas will have it printed out for him and he’ll sigh through using it to explain his inactivity and ineffectiveness since Summer 2021. But my concern about the Bulls is so far beyond that. Karnisovas has shown enough to be fired, he’s indicated he doesn’t know what he’s doing let alone the ability to spin like he’s playing 4-D chess. After the deadline, he took his team’s terrible play and tried to say it was fine, what will some small stretch of good play make any Collapse

3/18/2023 - Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images DeMar DeRozan’s 49 points leads Chicago After a couple of heartbreaking losses at home, the Chicago Bulls finally made the plays when it mattered the most to win a double overtime slugfest against the Minnesota Timberwolves 139-131. It took the TWolves losing their best player Anthony Edwards early in the game, and some truly choking moments from the visitors, but for once it wasn’t the Bulls who coughed up the game that was up for grabs. Chicago fought back from a 10 point fourth quarter deficit to force the extra period, concluding with a DeMar DeRozan layup with 20.1 seconds left. Minnesota had a chance to win in regulation but did this instead: this game rules pic.twitter.com/w5wQvjMlor— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) March 18, 2023 Then in OT, the Bulls did it again to send the game to double overtime when Zach LaVine scored with 11.1 seconds remaining. In the second extra period, the Bulls turned on the jets as they scored seven of Collapse

3/16/2023 - Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images Another last second three sinks the Bulls at home After winning two road games in a row, the Chicago Bulls were looking to start off a three game home stretch with a victory. And despite losing late in the fourth quarter, they were given a boost thanks to a miraculous four-point play by DeMar DeRozan which tied the game. He rose up from the top of the arc and splashed a three while getting hit on the elbow by Harrison Barnes. DEEBO IN THE CLUTCH.@DeMar_DeRozan | @NBCSChicago pic.twitter.com/XooNMmFg73— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 16, 2023 All the Bulls needed was one more defensive stop to send the game to OT. However, it turned out to be deja vu at the United Center as the De’Aron Fox knocked down a three with 0.07 seconds left to give the road team a 117-114 win. Fox is cold"I'm fuckin nice" pic.twitter.com/gVJRDRb5Eg— Will Gottlieb (@Will_Gottlieb) March 16, 2023 It’s another tough home defeat for the Bulls as they Collapse

3/12/2023 - Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports that was much closer than it needed to be. Zach LaVine is enjoying a heck of a heater right now. Our Chicago Bulls’ highest-paid player led the way for his team against a miserable Houston Rockets club tonight. LaVine finished with a game-high 36 points while shooting 14-of-26 from the floor (3-of-8 from deep) and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe, eight rebounds and five assists. Across his last five contests, the 6’5” shooting guard is averaging 35 points on 56.5% shooting from the floor, and looking like his All-Star self again, shooting well inside and out. Zach Attack’s offensive effort tonight, combined with an efficient night and some clutch shooting from DeMar DeRozan, solid second-half makes from Nikola Vucevic, and the two-way play of Patrick Beverley, powered the Bulls to a 119-111 finish over a totally scattered young Rockets club. The Rockets started out red-hot from deep. In the game’s first quarter, Houston outscored Chicago 32-22, Collapse

3/8/2023 - Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images the Bulls are visiting AK’s old team Tonight, our Chicago Bulls travel to Ball Arena to get embarrassed by the Denver Nuggets. Despite occupying an under-appreciated market, Denver built its title-contending squad through savvy draft picks and trades, the kind of roster construction approach that Chicago will probably need to emulate if it ever hopes to actually compete for anything. Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, quite possibly en route to his third straight (although Giannis Antetkounmpo could mount a real challenge), will most likely obliterate his Bulls counterpart, Nikola Vucevic. Guards Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be tough covers for Patrick Beverley and Zach LaVine, and have the length and size to bother the Bulls’ backcourt on the other end. Forwards Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon also boast big size and strength advantages over DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, their probable charges tonight (though perhaps Billy Collapse