MILWAUKEE (AP) — Coby White and the Chicago Bulls know they’re going to have to find different ways to win this season now that they no longer have six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan and his mid-range game.
That new style was on display Friday night as the Bulls showcased their improved 3-point production in a 133-122 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Chicago went 21 of 47 from 3-point range, the most 3s the Bulls had made in a game since hitting a team-record 25 against New Orleans on Feb. 10, 2021.
It was only the eighth time in franchise history that the Bulls made 20 or more 3s.
And it represented a major step forward from two nights earlier, when the Bulls went 10 of 34 on 3-point attempts in a 123-111 loss at New Orleans. The Bulls said their passing was better Friday, resulting in more open looks.
“We’re trying to build that identity of playing fast and shooting more 3s, but also not just jacking them up,” said White, who scored 35 points.
Six Bulls made at least two 3-pointers Friday. White was 7 of 13, Nikola Vucevic 4 of 9, Jalen Smith 3 of 5, Josh Giddey 2 of 2, Patrick Williams 2 of 4 and Zach LaVine 2 of 6.
“They worked to get really good shots,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “And I thought we took the right 3s tonight. We took a high volume, but I didn’t think we really forced a lot.”
Donovan has been emphasizing the importance of making more 3-pointers, something that was missing from the Bulls’ arsenal last season.
Chicago made 941 3-pointers last season, ahead of only the Portland Trail Blazers (939), Detroit Pistons (906) and Orlando Magic (903). The Bulls’ 3-point percentage of .358 ranked 20th out of 30 teams.
During an offseason overhaul, DeRozan went to Sacramento through a three-team sign-and-trade and Alex Caruso got dealt to Oklahoma City in a trade that brought Giddey to Chicago.
The Bulls now have a different type of team that needs to replace the scoring punch DeRozan had brought to Chicago the last three seasons. That includes more outside shooting.
“Our coaching staff instilled in everyone, especially coach Donovan, just instilled in everyone confidence to shoot it,” White said. “If we’d watch film during training camp of our practice, if somebody didn’t shoot it or somebody passed up a shot, he was stopping it and demanding they shoot the ball.”
The payoff was evident Friday as the Bulls picked apart a Milwaukee team that understood Chicago’s strategy but couldn’t stop it.
“When we went through personnel, we talked about how they want to get a lot of 3s up this year,” Bucks guard Damian Lillard said. “They have been aggressive, even in the preseason. I think in this league, if you don’t pay attention to details or you don’t respect the details, guys see a couple go in and anybody can have a night.”
The Bulls had a heck of a night. They’re hoping it’s the first of many.
“Like coach always says, just be relentless, keep going, keep going,” White said. “We might not be hitting 3s like we hit tonight. But just playing with that pace, being relentless, trying to wear teams down. That’s how we’ve got to play. We don’t got DeMar DeRozan no more, so we’ve got to figure out other ways to get good offense.”
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Steve Megargee, The Associated Press
