The Bulls improved to 2-4 with Friday night’s 112-106 victory over a Pistons team playing without Blake Griffin and Reggie Jackson and on a night Lauri Markkanen didn’t play down the stretch for the second straight game. Here are four observations:
Otto Porter Jr. looked aggressive for second straight game
After not playing with the same impact through the first four games, Porter picked up where he left off from Wednesday night in Cleveland. He attacked the rim early and, this time, the 3-pointer followed. Porter, who went 3-for-4 from 3-point range, sank multiple 3-pointers for the first time this season.
"Otto had that look in his eye like he wasn't going to let us lose," coach Jim Boylen said.
Porter also served as primary playmaker to begin the second half. In one stretch, he either scored or assisted on 17 of 20 points. He finished with 22 points and six rebounds. Boylen said it was a consious decision to run offense through Porter to begin the second half.
"Eventually, I knew it was going to come," Porter said. "I didn't want to overreact."
Boylen revealed that he met with Porter Wednesday in Cleveland to talk to him about playing more aggressively.
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"We had a good talk," Boylen said. "He was frustrated. The one thing I love about Otto that I love the most is he's a guy in the huddle that's talking: 'This is the stop we gotta get. We gotta get loose balls.' He's a coach out there."
Wendell Carter Jr. is asserting himself at offensive end
Carter is smart. He knows his role. Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen are the primary scorers. Porter is the third option.
But coaches have been working with Carter to be more selfish at times and look for his shot, particularly as the roll man in screen-and-roll actions. An adept passer, Carter in the past has often looked to kick the ball to a shooter in the corner first.
Against the Pistons, Carter played more aggressively offensively. Scoring 15 or more points in three straight games for the first time in his career, Carter scored on two alley-oop plays and also sank his seventh career 3-pointer. He posted his third double-double in four games and came up with big rebounds late. The Bulls finished minus-4 in that department after smoked on the glass recently.
"We had some swarm rebounds, some guys come over the top and get the loose balls," Boylen said.
The Bulls won the 3-point battle
A problem area this season, the Bulls outscored the Pistons by 30 points from beyond the arc. Zach LaVine hit two huge fourth-quarter 3-pointers after the Pistons rallied from a 16-point deficit to take the lead.
"I just had to make a play," LaVine said. "Late shot clock, we were down one. I'm not scared to take any of those shots. It should've been three in a row. I missed a wide-open one, the easiest one."
The Pistons entered as the league’s second-best 3-point shooting team but missed their first 14 attempts and finished 6-for-29.
Derrick Rose gave the United Center faithful what they wanted
Serenaded by a partial standing ovation and chants of “MVP!” when he checked in midway through the first, Rose split double teams at will and flashed burst that recalled vintage days.
With close friend Joakim Noah watching from the owners’ suite, Rose finished with 23 points and seven assists. Rose and Noah then met and embraced in the postgame hallway.
"He was dynamic all night," Boylen said. "He's got his burst. He's really difficult to guard. He's as tough a cover in the league as there is right now with his ability to split and to burst."
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