Bulls rebound from dismal start to clinch homecourt in lower play-in

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Bulls rebound from dismal start to clinch homecourt in lower play-in originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich

DETROIT — The Chicago Bulls clinched homecourt advantage for next week’s play-in game against the Atlanta Hawks, and coach Billy Donovan said conversations will be had with players and the medical staff on how to best approach their final two regular-season games.

But before they reach any conclusions on how to approach Friday night in Washington against the Wizards and Sunday afternoon in New York against the Knicks, Donovan, while not planning any parades, wanted to acknowledge how far the Bulls have come.

They started the season at 5-14, dropping to a low with a uninspiring effort in Boston on November 28 in which DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine left with injuries.

Since then, the Bulls are 33-28 and that’s with season-ending injuries to LaVine and Patrick Williams and significant time missed by Torrey Craig. Other players missed games here and there as well.

“I’m happy for these guys,” coach Billy Donovan said. “I think sometimes when you just look in the moment of where you’re at, sometimes you don’t get a chance to look at where you started. I’ve said before: It was a rough start for us. And I really appreciate the guys in that locker room sticking together, fighting, not quitting, not making excuses or pointing fingers and trying to rally and pull together and play better.

“And as the season continued to go on, we lost players. And they never wavered from that. And I think what they’ve done to get to this point is great. But there’s still a lot in front of us in terms of opportunities.”

Last season, the Bulls played both play-in game on the road, winning in Toronto before blowing a late lead in Miami. Now, if they advance to the eighth seed and a first-round playoff matchup against the Boston Celtics, they only need to win one road game.

“I always feel like our place is a great place to play,” Donovan said. “It’s an electric crowd, an electric environment. Obviously, it’s up to us to give them something to cheer about and get excited about. But I…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bulls-rebound-dismal-start-clinch-023831989.html

Author : NBC Sports Chicago

Publish date : 2024-04-12 02:38:31

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