Friday was a battle between the Bulls and the Raptors to determine which is more inconsequential as both teams’ seasons sputter to an end.
Coming into the game, it was the Bulls with a slight edge, according to league standings and their position in the play in. A fourth-quarter surge led by Coby White — including converting a four-point play with six seconds left in regulation — was enough to force overtime. From there, it was a concerted effort by the Bulls to help them maintain their status as the better of two bad teams with their 125-115 win, giving them a 2.5 game advantage in the race for the final play-in spot.
“It’s important for us, especially all of us as a younger team to get that experience winning,” White said. “To experience winning and playing in those big time games.”
“We have guys in here that want to win. So we have to continue to stack and get better.”
Josh Giddey put together a strong first-quarter performance doling out seven assists, helping him earn his another double-double, finishing with 17 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds. Matas Buzelis gave fans a pair of captivating dunks, contributing to his 10 points and Kevin Huerter added 15 points off the bench.
White was the difference maker late, finishing with 24 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter and four rebounds. Lonzo Ball added 14 points and eight players scored in double figures. The Raptors frontcourt duo, RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes and guard Immanuel Quickley deserve much of the credit for maintaining a product worth watching through the first three and a half quarters.
Barrett and Barnes combined for 42 points, while Quickley finished with 23 points before fouling out in overtime.
Pride, although an admirable quality, might be the Bulls’ most significant detriment because while there’s value in effort, this team stands to gain nothing with each game they add to the win column.
The trade for franchise player Zach LaVine did little to put the Bulls in a better position long-term. All they gained was control of their 2025 first-round pick from the Spurs, a pick they never should have lost control of to begin with. This current roster isn’t constructed to win against formidable opponents as proven by their recent slate of games.
Since the Bulls traded LaVine on February 2, Giddey has been the team’s leading scorer, averaging 19.9 points per game. He is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, which would remove any interest in a half-hearted effort. Friday night, White showed the glimmer of a player who can be the Bulls closer in the absence of their former two, LaVine and DeMar Derozan.
Still, the question remains: what does this franchise stand to gain if this train continues on its mediocre path?
“When you’re dealing with players that have, in some cases, a very short window to play,” Donovan said. “A year in basketball is a big deal. You listen to [DeRozan] talk about the fact that he’s got 15 years in the league and doesn’t know where it went. It’s really hard to ask a player or to give the impression to a player or a team that winning is not that important.”
They don’t have the heart to lose, but they don’t have enough talent to win in a meaningful way, either, leaving them in arguably the worst place a team can be: NBA purgatory.
“Do we have a championship-level team?” Donovan posed to himself. “Do we have one of the best records? No. But there is an opportunity to play after our last regular season game. These guys want to do that.”