LOS ANGELES — Sometimes it’s very subtle.
A deep sigh or a shake of the head.
Then there’s times it’s not.
“You’ll see guys from the other team with hands on their knees as soon as they can, the free-throw line when the whistle is blown and things like that,” Bulls guard Tre Jones said with a smirk. “We pick up on all those little cues.”
That they do because then they know they got you.
The Bulls will enter Saturday’s game against the Lakers third in the league in pace of play at 102.77. Only the Grizzlies (103.57) and the Hawks (102.94) play quicker.
But the Bulls are also third in the league in second-half scoring (58.8 points per game) and have turned that up on this current six-city road trip, especially the last three games, leading the league with 66.7 points per game in the final two stanzas.
It’s a simple philosophy right now: Run and run some more. When they see a team is starting to get winded, whether it’s the third or the fourth quarter, it’s pedal down.
The evidence is mounting.
“Especially that fourth quarter,” guard Kevin Huerter said. “Coaches show us the numbers, but you could feel it from teams that like when we continue to run and they’re on their knees (putting their hands on their knees). The biggest time you can tell is at the free throw line, how guys are with their body language, so there is something to it.”
In their last home win before this trip, the Bulls outscored the Nets 34-18 in the final quarter. In Utah it was turbo time again in the fourth, outlasting the home team 25-19.
Even in the loss to the Suns on Wednesday, the Bulls were down 21 at one point and made it respectable by outscoring Phoenix 37-28 in the final 12 minutes.
So while Thursday’s emotional showdown with the Kings was back and forth most of the night, once the final quarter came around there was a lot of confidence coming from the visiting bench. Sacramento has an older roster and one that is dealing with several key injuries.
Find the gas pedal and slam it down.
“We play a lot of young legs, play a lot of guys,” Huerter said. “(Coach) Billy (Donovan) is always cycling guys in and out, so we’ve got to continue to keep the foot on the gas.”
That they did, outscoring Sacramento 36-27 to earn the win.
That’s why over the last three games the Bulls were second in the NBA with a plus-8 fourth-quarter scoring margin.
“Obviously coming in here I knew how the team played, being in top shape and everything like that, but these last few games, third, fourth quarter you can even hear the other team commenting on how fast we’re playing, what type of shape we’re in, things like that,” Jones said. “We know it’s a 48-minute game, a long game, so a lot of things can happen. A lot of runs can go back and forth, so if we find ourselves down, we know what our identity is and that’s to continue to play our way, play fast, and in the third and fourth quarters we want to be hitting our stride.”
But now the rub.
Donovan’s philosophy has been solid with this roster because it’s really the only way they can be competitive without a pure superstar. If they do reach the playoffs, however, a lot changes.
Not only are there rest days between every game, but there’s better preparation since it’s the same team over and over. The Bulls won’t be able to sneak up on anyone.
So enjoy it now. A Thursday night in Sacramento in a late-March game? Speed kills.
Come mid-April against the likes of Jayson Tatum or a Donovan Mitchell? It might be the Bulls looking for the emergency brake.