The Chicago Bulls’ first road trip should serve as another litmus test. The start to the 2020-21 season has been a disaster — turnover-prone, unorganized on offense and disinterested on defense — but at least the Washington Wizards, another winless team, offered some company.
Two consecutive games in Washington, a schedule quirk intended to limit travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, should give the Bulls a measuring stick in the Eastern Conference against a team likely to end up in their tier. And although the basketball was not always aesthetically pleasing, the Bulls controlled Tuesday’s game from start to finish, coasting to a 115-107 victory for their first win of the season.
The Bulls got solid contributions up and down the lineup, from the backcourt of Zach LaVine (21 points, five rebounds, six assists) and Coby White (16, five and six) and off the bench from former Wizards Otto Porter Jr. (14 points in the first half) and Tomas Satoransky (10 points and six assists). Wendell Carter Jr. recorded his second straight double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Seven players reached double figures as the Bulls moved the ball around much more efficiently than in their first three games. They collected 26 assists with only 14 turnovers, an improvement from their 20-turnover average in the first three games, which ranked second-worst in the NBA.
They could have had eight players in double figures, but Lauri Markkanen was limited to nine points in 19 minutes, leaving the game with 8:42 left in the third quarter. He had been a game-time decision after missing the closing minutes of Sunday’s game against the Golden State Warriors with a calf bruise.
