Bulls hold off Pistons for opening night win |
Dustin Riese
· · 5 hours ago
CHICAGO - While you may not earn a playoff spot a month into the season, you certainly can lose one based on how things go the rest of the way. When it comes to the Chicago Bulls (1-0), a lot of what they do this season is going to hinge on their first month of play, as they have one of the toughest schedules in the league for their first 20 games.
That all started with a Central Division clash against the Detroit Pistons (0-1) on Wednesday Evening at the United Center as the Bulls were looking to kick off a new season with a bang. As is the case more often than not, nothing comes easily for this team, as the Bulls seemed to be in control through three quarters before falling apart in the fourth. Even with the Pistons outscoring Chicago by 11 points in the final 12 minutes, the Bulls built up a big enough lead in the early going to hold on for a massive 115-111 win. You couldn't have asked for a better start than what the Bulls put forth in this one as they jumped all over the Pistons in the opening 12 minutes to race out to a 35-19 lead. Nikola Vucevic played a significant role in that, scoring the first bucket of the season for the Bulls before putting forth a 12-point first quarter and a 15-point first half, as he remains one of the bigger question marks on this roster. Vucevic has been in trade talks for a while now, but nothing has come from it. However, with 28 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Bulls, you can expect those talks to pick up as the season progresses, as he meant business from start to finish. Take the first quarter away, and it was the Pistons outscoring the Bulls by 12 points, with most of that damage coming during their furious fourth-quarter comeback. Along with Vucevic and his big game, Matas Buzelis picked up where he left off last season, as the second-year man looks for a breakout campaign. Buzelis gave the Bulls two players with at least 20 points, dropping 21 and adding six boards, as he has all the intangibles for a special season. The same can be said of Josh Giddey, who played his first game under his new contract and added 19 points and 11 assists, demonstrating that he will once again be the engine that powers this offense. Throw in Tre Jones and his 12-point, eight-rebound performance, and the Bulls' starting five was off and running to continue to build on their strong finish from last season. While those were the four starters to land in double figures, the Bulls also benefited from a pair of big games off the bench, which could be one of the team's strengths. Kevin Huerter led the Bulls' second unit with 15 points while Ayo Dosunmu chipped in with 14 points to account for all but six of their bench points in the win. As has been the case for a while now, the Pistons will go only as far as Cade Cunningham will take them, as he is already off to a great start. Cunningham led the Pistons with 23 points, dished out 10 assists, and pulled down seven rebounds for a near triple-double to open up the season. He was one of two players to record 20-point efforts for the Pistons, as Isaiah Stewart added 20 points off the bench to lead the second unit, grabbing 10 rebounds of his own for another double-double. Those were two of the many double-digit scorers for the Pistons, who had plenty of offensive support to go around. Joining Cunningham when it comes to double-digit scorers in the starting five were Jalen Duren and his 15 points, with Tobias Harris (10 points) and Ausar Thompson (11 points) giving Detroit four starters in double figures to match the Bulls. They also had Ronald Holland add 19 points off the bench to combine for 39 points with Stewart in what wound up being a 51-point night from the Pistons. Next up for the Bulls is a trip to Florida, as they will face the Orlando Magic on Saturday Evening at the Kia Center.
