Even if the Bulls aren’t at full strength for the game against the Hawks, Nikola Vucevic & Co. are more battle tested and capable of advancing from the first-round play-in game.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
This has been a slow burn for DeMar DeRozan.
The veteran has been sending out warning shots for weeks, letting his locker room know that do-or-die was coming for them all and it was real.
It finally arrives on Wednesday, when DeRozan and the Bulls host a limping Atlanta team in the No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game. That’s when DeRozan finds out who was paying attention.
“I mean it just gives us an opportunity to salvage so much we went through and not let the season go in vain,” DeRozan said. “Everything we went through (this season), now we got opportunity, you know, make some of the season like giving ourselves a chance.”
“We got the opportunity to put our money on the table.”
And in DeRozan’s case go all in. Even though all signs point to DeRozan signing an extension to stay a Bull, he is 34 and he will be a free agent. A first-round exit in the play-in? Is that gut-punch enough for the front office to pivot from that expected plan? Unlikely, but a maybe.
So will this be DeRozan’s last game in a Bulls jersey? That’s a definite not a chance, and they can thank the Hawks for that.
Starting Guards
Trae Young and Dejounte Murray vs. Coby White and Alex Caruso
At the start of this season, this would have been a no-brainer with all fingers pointing in the direction of Atlanta’s Young and Murray. This clearly isn’t the start of the season any longer. Murray has lived up to his end of the bargain, putting together a very solid season stat line of 22.5 points, 6.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game, but it hasn’t exactly been a smooth working relationship with Young. Murray has actually played his best basketball when Young is out.
The Bulls could counter with Ayo Dosunmu (right quad) and White, moving Caruso to a wing, but there was still uncertainty with Dosunmu’s availability. Still, White has emerged as one of the more improved players in the league, while Caruso is capable of handcuffing any guard … not named Jalen Brunson.
EDGE: BULLS
Starting Wings
Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter vs. DeRozan and Javonte Green
The Knicks took advantage of Green’s inconsistency from three in the finale on Sunday, allowing him to fire away and go 1-for-6 from long range, so there’s a possible blueprint. And if the game is close, forget about it. The Bulls have a DeRozan, and the Hawks don’t.
Still, Bogdan Bogdanovic always seems to be a Bulls killer, while Hunter can be streaky good.
EDGE: Even
Starting Center
Clint Capela vs. Nikola Vucevic
Styles make the fight and these two couldn’t be more different. Capela is a rim-runner who relies on blocked shots and his defense turning into offense, while Vucevic is more stretch and cerebral. When in doubt in this series, go with the scorer.
EDGE: BULLS
Bench
If the Bulls have Dosunmu and Andre Drummond (left ankle) available this isn’t a real contest. Drummond has owned the Hawks this season, playing some of his basketball when the Bulls faced Atlanta, including a December game in which he scored 24 points and grabbed 25 rebounds.
Hawks guard Vit Krejci did a number on the Bulls a few weeks ago, lighting them up for 18 points – all three-pointers, but that might have been an outlier.
EDGE: BULLS
Coaching
Quin Snyder vs. Billy Donovan
This is about who has the pulse of their team right now, and there’s not much to debate. Snyder’s team has underachieved, stumbling into the play-in losers of six straight. Donovan was dealt a bad hand by his front office with the roster build and has overcome key injuries to make the Bulls a tough out, especially late in games.
EDGE: BULLS
Prediction: Bulls win 118-115