CLEVELAND — Ahead of Monday’s matchup in Cleveland, the Cavaliers had a easy defensive goal towards the Chicago Bulls: Try to comprise Coby White.
Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff acknowledged White has risen to attract comparable defensive consideration as stars Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, who solely narrowly lead in scoring and help margins.
When it got here to a sport plan, Bickerstaff laid it out merely.
“Keep him in front of you as much as you possibly can,” Bickerstaff mentioned. “Keep him out of the painted area. Don’t allow his speed to get behind you. Obviously he’s a capable shot maker but when he becomes really disruptive is when he gets to the paint and now everybody’s an option for him because he’s an unselfish player. He’s willing to share the ball and share the game.”
This is a studying expertise for White, who’s commanding newfound respect all through the league halfway by means of a breakout season because the Bulls’ start line guard. Defenses are now not stunned by his shot choice or ball motion. He will get the most effective — or second-best — defender on the courtroom. And on a rocky evening like Monday, White is tasked with lifting and main the Bulls offense.
White struggled in Cleveland, coughing the ball up for seven turnovers regardless of main the offense in factors (18). But coach Billy Donovan isn’t involved concerning the blip within the guard’s season.
“I think he was obviously trying to take it upon himself to step up,” Donovan mentioned. “He’s got that kind of will and competitiveness. This is a really good learning experience for Coby because he’s been so elite and so great and this is one of those games where he was just trying to grind, he was competing like crazy … but some of those plays didn’t work out. It’s something he can learn from.”
White’s struggles to guard the ball prolonged to the whole workforce. The Bulls gave up 18 factors on 18 turnovers within the 109-91 loss, their third-highest tally of the season. With the loss, the Bulls have now slipped again to 4 video games beneath .500.
Here are 4 different takeaways from the sport.
1. Bulls enable a 40-point first quarter.
A sluggish begin dug the Bulls right into a gap throughout the opening six minutes of play. The Cavaliers scored 40 factors within the first quarter, going 8-for-14 from behind the arc. The Bulls opened the sport struggling to shoot the ball, going solely 4-for-18 from 3-point vary in the whole first half. But it was their protection that didn’t sluggish the Cavaliers, significantly Donovan Mitchell, who tallied 17 factors within the first half and 34 on the evening.
The Cavaliers had been recent off a global flight following their sport towards the Brooklyn Nets in Paris, giving the Bulls few excuses for being the extra sluggish workforce out of the opening whistle.
2. Second-chance factors gasoline the Cavaliers offense.
Throughout the primary half, the Cavaliers constructed their lead on one key a part of their sport: second-chance factors.
The Cavaliers scored 19 second-chance factors off eight offensive rebounds within the first half whereas the Bulls scored solely 4 second-chance factors of their very own. Jarrett Allen snagged 4 offensive boards — greater than the whole Bulls roster — on his personal within the half. Those factors made up almost a 3rd (31.7%) of the Cavaliers’ complete offense within the first half.
Donovan had emphasised offensive rebounds as a key focus getting into the sport after the Cavaliers dominated the boards of their final assembly. But that preparation didn’t enhance the outcomes for the Bulls, who gave up 13 offensive rebounds within the loss.
3. Dual big-man lineup feeds third-quarter comeback.
Centers Andre Drummond and Nikola Vučević hardly ever play on the courtroom on the similar time. But with the Bulls folding underneath the strain of the Cavaliers on the offensive boards, Donovan switched up his typical rotations to run with a two-big lineup for the ultimate 6:09 of the third quarter.
The Bulls went on a 21-3 run with the large pair on the courtroom collectively, registering a +18 web score in that span to chop the lead down to 3 factors getting into the ultimate body. Drummond and Vučević had been in a position to neutralize the specter of second-chance factors off the boards, limiting the Cavaliers to a single offensive rebound within the ultimate six minutes of the quarter.
4. Turnovers on the coronary heart of fourth-quarter collapse.
Despite their third-quarter surge, the Bulls deflated the second they switched again into their lineup, scoring solely 14 factors within the fourth quarter.
They took a quick one-point lead firstly of the fourth quarter, however that was adopted by a Cavaliers 11-0 run fueled by miscues. The Bulls coughed up eight turnovers within the fourth quarter, together with three by White. The Cavaliers scored 13 factors off these errors to reclaim the lead and sail to the whistle.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com