An uneven Chicago Bulls campaign still is producing positive season superlatives.
On Tuesday night, the Bulls hope to continue tapping into them as they host the surging Los Angeles Clippers, with both teams sitting in play-in position in the NBA standings.
Chicago collected 41 assists, tying a season high, during a 124-102 home rout of Brooklyn on Sunday, with Tre Jones leading the way with 10 assists and Nikola Vucevic and Kevin Huerter following with six apiece.
“I thought we shared the ball really well. I thought we generated good shots,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “I felt we were a little bit more active with our hands. That was all good.”
Another plus: Coby White. The guard, who slowly is working through calf injuries, made seven 3-pointers Sunday, his most this season. White scored 24 points to lead seven Bulls in double figures.
“You always want to hit seven [threes],” in a game, “White said, “but obviously that’s not going to happen every night. For me, it’s just continue to trust the work, trust my instincts, continue to put time in the gym, and tonight they fell.”
The Clippers have won six straight games, matching a season high, and 13 of 15 as they attempt to sweep a three-game road trip.
They have won five of their past six games away from home after edging the Washington Wizards 110-106 on Monday behind 36 points and nine assists from James Harden. Harden scored 18 points from the free-throw line.
With Clippers leading scorer Kawhi Leonard (28.2 points per game) ruled out of the Washington and Chicago games and sent home to Los Angeles to manage left knee irritation, the Clippers flexed their depth to overtake the Wizards down the stretch.
That included Kris Dunn, who contributed 10 points while logging a season-high 39 minutes. After the game, he reiterated his willingness to help the Clippers however he is able.
“Keep fighting. Keep fighting. We have a really good group,” Dunn said. “The urgency is high right now; we want to do really good things, and we’ve been playing really good basketball, and I just want to win. That’s the biggest thing. No matter how we did it, just try to get a win.”
Reserve guard Jordan Miller, meanwhile, chipped in 16 points Monday and has scored in double figures five times during the Clippers’ current tear.
“He’s a real baller, you know. … I think the biggest thing is he really cares,” Dunn said of Miller. “He really wants to be good in this league. … He’s really putting in the work, and everything else is taking care of itself.”
The Clippers are 7-3 in their past 10 games against the Bulls, including three straight victories at the United Center. Chicago is searching for its first home win against Los Angeles since March 31, 2022.
Vucevic has averaged a double-double — 18.1 points and 10.6 rebounds — in his past 10 games vs. the Clippers. White has made at least three 3-pointers against Los Angeles in consecutive contests.
