Lessons learned from the win over the Washington Wizards

What happens when a very unstoppable force meets an extremely moving object?

That was the question the Chicago Bulls answered in their 127-108 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, as the NBA’s third-worst defense faced the second-worst offense. The Bulls prevailed in the group stage of the NBA Cup and improved to 2-1, although they still couldn’t hold the Wizards under 100 points.

Seven players scored in double figures, led by Coby White with 21 points. Nikola Vučević recorded another double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Here are four takeaways from the win.

1. The Bulls defense did its best.

The Bulls’ defensive status has gone from worrisome to downright debilitating over the last two weeks. They had the NBA’s third-worst defensive rating (118.2) entering Tuesday, and their rating of 123.7 over the last five games was the worst in the league during that span.

Tuesday’s game was an opportunity to build some defensive confidence against one of the NBA’s weakest offenses. The Wizards finished 26th in the league in scoring and were without top scorer Jordan Poole, who was sidelined with a hip injury.

After a slow offensive start, the Bulls stalled the Wizards’ offense in the second quarter, in which Washington took just eight shots and scored 18 points as the Bulls built a 14-point halftime lead.

The Bulls switched to a zone defense for parts of the quarter, and while they struggled to rotate consistently enough to maximize that defense, that didn’t matter much against the Wizards, who turned the ball over six times in the quarter.

The Bulls sent the Wizards to the free throw line 19 times in the third quarter, and they made 15 times to help them get back to within 12 points. But that couldn’t make up for the toothlessness of the Wizards’ offense.

Washington only grabbed four offensive rebounds the entire game, giving the Bulls a second-chance advantage. And the Wizards shot just 10 of 37 (27%) from 3-point range, failing to capitalize on a similarly poor night from long range for the Bulls.

2. The offense found its footing without 3s.

While high-volume 3-point shooting has been a cornerstone of this year’s high-scoring offense, the Bulls have faced the challenge in recent games of strengthening their offense when starting slowly behind the arc.

Tuesday night was another such occasion as the Bulls took a long-distance lead with 1:13 left in the first quarter, with Zach LaVine providing the only goal.

The 3-point shooting never really ignited, although White made three 3-pointers in the third quarter and LaVine added two. The Bulls went 14-40 from behind the arc, still a significant improvement from last season.

But against the league’s second-worst defense, the Bulls were able to find other ways to score – bringing in Vučević and Jalen Smith and attacking the rim with White. The Bulls gained a rare advantage from close range, outscoring the Wizards 60-46 in the game as they shot 61% from inside the arc.

3. Julian Phillips anchored the reserves.

With Lonzo Ball and Patrick Williams still out with injuries, Ayo Dosunmu moved into the starting lineup – an important step up for Dosunmu, but a notable loss for the bench that usually relies on Dosunmu to score their goals.

However, the bench offset a mediocre night for the Bulls by scoring 46 of their 127 points. Smith nearly had a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Talen Horton-Tucker went 5 of 6 from the field and finished the game with 13 points.

Although Dalen Terry was the first player off the bench for the Bulls, Phillips ended up leading the second unit after returning from a brief illness layoff. Phillips scored eight points and five rebounds while playing with the Bulls’ most consistent defense.

Matas Buzelis took Dosunmu’s place, another important move for the rookie who logged meager minutes in his first month. After playing 30 minutes against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, Buzelis earned another full rotation in Washington.

While Buzelis still struggled defensively – he routinely missed backcuts to allow an easy look at the rim – he managed a block and a steal that showcased his ability to wreak havoc on opponents. And his offensive growth was visible as he scored nine points in 17 minutes.

4. Where the Bulls stand in the NBA Cup.

With their second straight win in East Group C, the Bulls are level at 2-1 with the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics at the top. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 1-1 and the Wizards are 0-3.

To advance to the quarterfinals in Las Vegas, the Bulls must beat the Celtics on Friday at the United Center. This, combined with a Hawks win over the Cavaliers on Friday, would make the Bulls the group winner based on their head-to-head win over the Hawks.

Or if the Bulls and Cavaliers win on Friday, but the Cavs are defeated by the Wizards next Tuesday, the Bulls would be the only 3-1 team to be the clear group winner.

If the Bulls and Cavs both finish 3-1, Cleveland would win the group head-to-head, and the Bulls would have to win the point-difference tiebreaker against other 3-1 non-winners to clinch the only Eastern wild card spot the conference. Tuesday’s win improved their margin to plus-15.