Short-handed Bulls hold off Wizards, 133-130, for 2-game sweep in Washington
The Chicago Bulls were left short-handed for their game Thursday against the Washington Wizards, with four players — Lauri Markkanen, Tomas Satoransky, Ryan Arcidiacono and Chandler Hutchison — absent while in the NBA’s health and safety protocol.
That signals their absences are related to COVID-19 but not necessarily a positive test. Instead, players might have come in contact with someone who has tested positive.
It left the Bulls with an undermanned roster and a rotation in flux, yet they still had enough to pull out a 133-130 victory over the Wizards to sweep the two-game series in Washington. The Bulls need some work defensively, but seven players reached double figures for the second straight game and the team spread the ball around well again with 34 assists on 50 field goals.
The Wizards remained one of the NBA’s four winless teams and an early-season disappointment after acquiring Russell Westbrook from the Houston Rockets before the season. And a trip to D.C. netted the Bulls a pair of victories and some reason to feel encouraged
Otto Porter Jr. started in place of Markkanen and scored a team-high 28 points. But the Bulls bench did not miss a beat without Porter, outscoring the Wizards bench 41-29. Daniel Gafford and Thaddeus Young each scored 15 points off the bench, and Young and Garrett Temple, ended up in their closing lineup.
Bradley Beal and Thomas Bryant scored 28 points apiece for the Wizards, while Westbrook added 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to notch his fourth triple-double in as many games played this season.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan’s rotations have been evolving every game, but this is the first time he was forced to shuffle his starting lineup.
“This is something I’ve been talking about for a while, that you’ve got to stay flexible,” Donovan said before the game. “Different things can happen, and you’ve got to be able to handle them. Obviously, a lot for us to digest and deal with going into this game with the number of people who are out, but we’ve got to find ways to, throughout the course of the game, maximize and utilize the players that we have available.”
Donovan did not elaborate on the players’ absences, but this game tested the Bulls’ depth.
Markkanen had been off to a strong start, averaging 17.3 points and 6.8 rebounds before suffering a bruised calf that initially threatened his availability. But he never got a chance to practice and test it. Satoransky was the Bulls’ best floor general through four games, and without he and Arcidiacono, the team was without both of its backup point guards. Hutchison has earned some playing time because of his solid defense.
The Bulls have another game Friday night in Milwaukee, and Donovan was not sure whether any of the four players would be able to travel with the team, let alone play in the game.
“My guess is, yes, it’s going to go on here for a period of time,” Donovan said. “How long? I’m really unsure of that. The daily testing helps bring some clarity to where guys are at. I don’t know how long it would be, but I do anticipate it being some time.”
