The Chicago Bulls took a lead over the Indiana Pacers in the first quarter with 2:22 to go and never looked back.
They did get some needed help from a familiar face from the past, though, with Javonte Green making his return debut on the night. Green signed a 10-day contract on March 22 amid injuries to the Bulls’ frontcourt.
He finished with five points, four rebounds, one assist, and one block and was a team-leading plus-26 in 19 minutes.
“He played great,” Alex Caruso said, according to The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry on March 27. “That’s the Javonte that we’ve all known and loved for a long time. He does all those things that we need. Hard defense. Protecting the rim. Rebound. Play with energy. Catch-and-shoot when the opportunity is there. He did those tonight well.”
“I had butterflies just going in,” Green admitted to reporters postgame. “And then I knew I had to just go in there and give them what they came to see me do.”
A strong energy presence for the Bulls the last two seasons, a knee injury ended Green’s 2022-23 campaign.
After rehab and a stint in the G League, Green was taking everything in stride.
“I know the reason of a 10-day,” Green said, per Mayberry. “(I’m) just going out there and staying focused and keeping my head down until I come up. So I’m just going out there and playing my game, knowing what the end goal is here.”
Bulls Get Critical Win to Snap Skid
The Bulls entered the contest riding a three-game skid. At the same time, the Atlanta Hawks were gaining on them in the race for ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings and a home game in the first round of the Play-In Tournament.
Billy Donovan shares how the Bulls were able to keep the Pacers under 100 points tonight for the first time in their respective season pic.twitter.com/3svlNLnThY
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) March 28, 2024
Atlanta beat the Portland Trail Blazers on March 27, extending their win streak to three games.
This win kept the Hawks at bay, maintaining the Bulls’ narrow 1.5-game lead. The Bulls have nine games left on the regular season slate while the Hawks have 10 games. The two teams will meet for the final time this regular season on April 1.
That game could have tremendous postseason implications.
The Bulls are up 2-0 in the season series. But the Hawks could take the spot from them outright with their strong play of late.
Bulls Face Road-Heavy Gantlet to End Season
Working in the Bulls’ favor, they have a decidedly easier remaining strength of schedule than the Hawks, who face the fifth-toughest stretch to end the campaign, per Tankathon. Both teams are banged up, though the Hawks figure to get most of their injured players back for the postseason.
The Bulls have the 10th-easiest slate of games to close the 2023-24 season. But it remains rife with challenges.
They will play six road games and have six games against playoff or Play-In teams.
The Bulls are 16-19 on the road this season, and they have a 17-29 record against teams with winning records. It is a daunting way for a resilient group to finish out what has been a trying season on many fronts.
Aside from injuries, the Bulls started the season 5-14. They have the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference since, potentially offering some hope.
