On a Bulls possession in the third quarter Friday, guard Zach LaVine made a backdoor cut and sank a reverse layup. As he ran back in transition, the Bulls lost Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert, who knocked down a corner three-pointer.
Immediately after the defensive breakdown, assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr. — who coached in place of Billy Donovan (illness) — called a timeout.
That sequence perfectly summed up the Bulls’ performance in their 139-137 preseason victory against the Cavaliers in overtime: A good play immediately was followed by a mistake.
Overall, however, the Bulls feel good about their three-point attack and pace. They know how important it is for them to attack teams in transition and to make the three-pointer a weapon.
During the preseason, they’ve faced teams — the Cavaliers, Bucks and Timberwolves — that are near the top of the league in defensive efficiency. They know that to compensate for their lack of size and defensive troubles, they’ll have to push the pace and shoot three-pointers.
The 56 three-pointers the Bulls attempted Friday would have broken the franchise record if the game happened during the regular season.
‘‘It’s a work in progress,’’ guard Coby White said. ‘‘We’ve still got to figure out stuff because at moments in the game, the game will slow down. It’s never going to always be fast-paced, and that’s where we’ve got to figure out how to still get to the spots and be productive on the offensive end.’’
The Bulls struggled with their three-point shooting in the first half. True to their new offensive identity, however, they continued to shoot them and finished 19-for-56 from behind the arc (33.9%). The return of guard Lonzo Ball has been a boost to the offense, with his high-IQ playmaking and three-point shooting. His heady play opens up shots for the rest of the team.
Guard Ayo Dosunmu had a strong night, scoring 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including 5-for-7 on three-pointers. Ball — playing in his second NBA game in more than 2½ years — rebounded from a shaky shooting start to finish with 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting (3-for-7 from three). Rookie Matas Buzelis scored seven points and flashed his athleticism on cuts to the rim. Center Nikola Vucevic scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
‘‘We’re getting them up,’’ LaVine said of the Bulls’ three-point philosophy. ‘‘The offense is based around that and playing fast. I think today, even though we weren’t making a lot of them, especially [in] the beginning, we’re still getting the right shots.’’
Preseason performances are hardly indicative of regular-season success, and results should be taken lightly. But the fact that the Bulls played a more efficient second half after trailing 61-54 at the break is encouraging as they prepare for their season opener Wednesday against the Pelicans in New Orleans.
The Bulls know they have to play as a unit to have success this season. White said Donovan has ‘‘implanted in our brains’’ to take open shots and quicken the pace whenever possible.
‘‘That’s the way we’re gonna have to play it in order to be in games this year,’’ White said. ‘‘Can’t just rely on two-point shots. . . . We don’t have DeMar DeRozan anymore. He can obviously win you games — a lot of games. So that’s how we know we’ve got to play. We’re trying to build that identity.’’
The Bulls pivoted this offseason, shifting toward a youth movement with a couple of veteran holdovers in LaVine and Vucevic. There’s still some uncertainty about how the team will coalesce.
But now the preseason is over. Starting Wednesday, the results will matter.