New look Nets takedown the Bulls |
BROOKLYN - This year's NBA trade deadline was an exciting one, to say the least, filled with a bevy of surprising moves. Perhaps the biggest surprises came from the Brooklyn Nets (33-22) and their camp as they made the two biggest trades of the week. Out go Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to Dallas and Phoenix, with Spencer Dinwiddie and Mikel Bridges among the players coming back in return.
Going back to last season when they traded away James Harden, the entire Big-three that they acquired have now been dealt by this organization as they are looking to go in a different direction. While you had the Nets, who were very active, the Chicago Bulls (26-29) were not, as they were one of two teams that didn't make a deadline deal. Whether that was a bode of confidence for this team is a topic for another day, but this team needs to figure something out. Despite the Nets looking like a completely different team, this is still a playoff-caliber basketball squad as they occupy one of the top four spots in the East. However, given the organization's changes in just 48 hours, you had to like the Bulls chances on Thursday, especially with Demar Derozan returning. Holding the lead after the third, Chicago couldn't get things going in the fourth quarter as they were outscored 37-21 in that final frame to give the Nets a 116-105 victory. That makes two straight games where the Bulls have had the lead going into the fourth, but were unable to finish it. With Derozan back in the mix after missing one game with an ailing hip, the Bulls big-three were back on the floor as they had a chance to move up in the Eastern Conference standings. Zach Lavine certainly did his part, finishing with a game-high 38 points on 16-25 shooting. He was the only player to score more than 20 on Chicago, but they still had decent production. After it was revealed that the Bulls would like to extend him beyond this season as he continues to play his best basketball. With 15 points and 17 rebounds, he continued to do just that, as he has been a joy to watch this season. Despite his return to the floor, DeRozan struggled to get much of anything going and finished with just 14 points. Throw in the 11 points from Coby White off the bench, and those were your heavy hitters in the losing effort. Losing Irving was hard enough, but losing Durant just a few days later sent shockwaves throughout the organization. Not only did they lose one of the better scorers in the league, but also one of the best to do it. That didn't bother them as Dinwiddie stepped in to finish with a team-high 25 points. Fresh off a string of 40-point games, Cam Thomas was held in check, but still managed to score 20 points. Most of those points came from the line where he went a perfect 13-13. Those may have been the only two starters in double figures for the Nets, but their bench proved to be the difference in this one. Not only did Joe Harris come up clutch with six triples and 18 points, but Yuta Watanabe added 14 to give the Nets a nice spark from their second unit. Throw in eight points from Patty Mills and eight points with eight rebounds from Ben Simmons, and the Nets continued proving they are a real threat in the Eastern Conference.
Unlike the showcase portion of the schedule, where Windy City was riding a strong start to their season, things have been much different during the regular season, as the wins have been far less frequent. Leave it to a lack of defense and inconsistent shooting at times as the underlying, but the bottom line is that this team needs to be better. Hoping to return to their winning ways, the Bulls used a balanced attack and a bevy of double-digit scorers to secure the 116-112 win over the Warriors. Leading the way was Javon Freeman-Liberty off the bench as he delivered a team-high 18 points. Freeman-Liberty was not alone, as four starters and five different player total landed in double figures. Ethan Thompson, Carlik Jones, and Malcolm Hill all had solid showings as they scored 17 points in the win. Jones also added seven rebounds and nine assists for a near triple-double and continues to set the table for this team. You also had Henry Drell picking up 14 points and 10 rebounds, with Aaron Wheeler adding 10 points off the bench. Despite only picking up eight points, Marko Simonivic was good defensively, coming away with 12 rebounds. The Warriors were led by Patrick Baldwin Jr and his 23 points, as these same two teams will meet back up on Saturday. Windy City holds off Santa Cruz
