During a film session after the Chicago Bulls’ game Sunday against the Toronto Raptors got postponed because of the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols, Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas had already turned his sights to the team’s next opponent — and his former team — the Denver Nuggets.
According to center Wendell Carter Jr., the Bulls’ top basketball executive told the team: “Now you get some more time to rest. I need y’all to win this next game for me.”
The Bulls nearly pulled off the upset Monday night at the United Center, rallying from a 15-point deficit to take a fourth-quarter lead, but eventually the talent gap became too much to overcome in a 118-112 loss. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, one of the top candidates for league MVP in the first half, finished with 39 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.
Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 23 points and Coby White added 20 to help lead the second-half charge, but it was not enough as the Bulls dropped their second straight game.
Despite the loss, the Bulls remain tied for ninth in the Eastern Conference as they look to stay in the playoff mix.
Karnisovas, who spoke with the media before the game for the first time since training camp, emphasized that the Bulls are still learning how to close out games, but he’s happy with what he has seen from his new team.
The Bulls hired him away from his gig as the Nuggets general manager last spring in part because of his reputation as a gym rat and his ability to build relationships with a team. Those qualities have shined through during his first season.
“He’s very, very hands-on,” Carter said. “In practices, he’s on the sidelines. So right after practice or right before practice, I see players, including myself, talking to him and just seeing how he’s feeling.
“And not necessarily always talking about basketball. Just checking in on one another and things like that. He’s a great people’s person, and I really appreciate him.”
