In a scramble for a loose ball Friday, Bulls guard Lonzo Ball raced from the paint to near halfcourt after Hornets forward Brandon Miller tipped the ball out.
After grabbing the ball and eluding Hornets center Mark Williams, Ball had nothing but open space and opportunity in front of him. He took one dribble before seeing guard Zach LaVine running with him, so Ball threw a left-handed lob pass to LaVine from above the free-throw line for an alley-oop dunk.
Ball, who finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 19 minutes, took a moment to revel in the highlight-reel play by galloping and yelling to the Bulls’ bench before getting back on defense.
What stood out on the play wasn’t LaVine’s aerial exhibition. The Bulls know LaVine can soar with the best of them. But Ball’s effort to grab the ball best exhibited the effort the Bulls played with in a 109-95 victory.
‘‘We had to match their energy,’’ Ball told the Sun-Times. ‘‘[The Hornets] play really strong. They play fast. They attack the glass — one of the best offensive-rebounding teams in the league. We knew we were down [center Nikola Vucevic], so we had to play a lot faster and block out. We didn’t do a very good job in the third quarter, but other than that, we got to the glass, got out — I felt like we ran the lanes hard — and played the basketball we wanted to play.’’
The Bulls shot only 27.5% (14-for-51) from three-point range, but it was their effort that enabled them to win comfortably. Being first to loose balls, creating second-chance points and flying around on defense made the difference, and Ball was at the center of that.
‘‘He brings that energy,’’ guard Josh Giddey said. ‘‘He brings that spark.’’
On nights in which their three-pointers aren’t falling, the Bulls have to manufacture points by getting to the free-throw line and attacking the offensive glass. They did both against the Hornets, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds and shooting 25 free throws.
The Bulls’ physicality stood out on both ends of the court. They played with a sense of urgency, and their defense was swarming. They totaled 11 blocks and 12 steals.
Coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls had worked on their physicality in their practices since their loss Sunday to the 76ers.
Though he liked much of his team’s performance, Donovan didn’t like how the Bulls started the third quarter. They gave the Hornets multiple opportunities on a possession, and Donovan called a timeout 48 seconds into the quarter.
‘‘The stamina and the consistency — and I’m nitpicking [because] our guys played hard and competed — but if you’re looking at that consistency part of it, that was a big part in that third quarter,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘We’ve got to be able to do it for longer stretches.’’
Although the Bulls have the talent to be competitive against most teams, their tendency to go through stretches of sloppy play is often a problem. They overcame 16 turnovers Friday because of their tenacity.
The Bulls did what they needed to do against an inferior opponent, but it remains to be seen whether the same effort and energy will be there Monday against the Raptors.
‘‘We can do it,’’ Ball said. ‘‘We’re capable. We see it on film for spurts. It’s just about putting it together for a whole game.’’
