The Chicago Bulls ended the 2022 preseason on a high note with a 127-104 victory over a heavily depleted Milwaukee Bucks team on Tuesday night at the United Center.
The win capped a 3-1 preseason for the Bulls, who open the regular season Oct. 19 on the road against the Miami Heat. The home opener is Oct. 22 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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Here are five things we learned from the win.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan held out both All-Stars from the final preseason game, allowing the team to take a longer look at its rotational depth ahead of the regular season. Donovan noted that LaVine spent the summer recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, which restricted him from five-on-five scrimmages.
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Both players are veterans who draw ample attention from defenders. Their absence allowed Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, Patrick Williams and Dalen Terry — the Bulls’ four players who are 22 or younger — to start together with center Nikola Vučević, 31. The four youngsters combined for 50 points and 13 assists.
Williams answered a call for increased aggressiveness around the rim with three rim-rattling dunks in the first half. Although he went 1-for-5 from 3-point range, Williams offset his perimeter shooting with his presence in the paint, scoring a team-high 22 points.
The Bulls have been challenging Williams to be more aggressive since drafting him with the No. 4 pick in 2020. Williams is competing with Javonte Green for the starting power forward spot as he enters his third season.
Tuesday’s performance gave a glimpse of how Williams can attack the basket against a lesser defensive presence — and without the support of the Bulls’ top stars. The key is bringing that same boldness to rotations with DeRozan and LaVine, to whom Williams often defers when featured in the starting lineup.
The rookie from Arizona earned his first start in a Bulls jersey and finished with five points and five assists.
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Terry showed the most potential in open-court transition opportunities, pushing the pace to advance the ball and find open teammates. The Bulls scored 25 points on the fast break.
This is an area of emphasis for the Bulls, who hope to maintain a high-energy, coast-to-coast identity this season even without Lonzo Ball currently available. Terry will force Donovan into difficult decisions about minutes if he continues to provide a spark in transition.
Tuesday’s matchup wasn’t a practical barometer for the Bulls secondary unit because it took place against the dregs of the Bucks roster.
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Grayson Allen, Thanasis Antetokounmpo and George Hill were sidelined with a non-COVID illness; Khris Middleton, Wesley Matthews, Pat Connaughton and Joe Ingles were held out because of injuries; and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez and Serge Ibaka sat out to rest ahead of the regular season.
The Bulls played their typical rotation besides DeRozan and LaVine, yet they led the stripped-down Bucks by only two points at halftime before finally pulling ahead by double digits in the third quarter.
After starting all four preseason games at point guard, Dosunmu looks set to fill Ball’s shoes to start the season.
The second-year guard finished with only eight points and an assist Tuesday but showed command of the ball both in directing his teammates and in one-on-one situations, sitting Lindell Wigginton on the court in the fourth quarter before pulling back to sink a shot.
