Crisp passes and three-pointers were a rarity.
That wasn’t the medium of choice for the Bulls or the Wizards in a Sunday showdown at the United Center.
After all, there’s a reason both teams were battling for positioning of the final play-in spot of the Eastern Conference, and it wasn’t because of a style of play that’s aesthetically pleasing.
No, this was about two below average squads diving on each other for a loose ball, a few chippy elbows, a technical foul here and there, and a whole lot of grime?
The Bulls proved to be grimier, and that was a good thing.
Thanks to a game-high 29 points from DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls won their second-straight game out of the All-Star Break, beating the visiting Wizards 102-82.
It still didn’t get the Bulls out of the 11th spot in the Eastern Conference, but it did move them a half-game behind Washington for that 10th and final play-in spot, as well as giving the Bulls (28-33) the tie-breaker for the time being.
Considering the ups and downs of the 2022-23 campaign so far, they’ll take it.
Ugly basketball? They’ll take that too.
“I still think we can be better offensively,’’ Bulls coach Billy Donovan said of the win. “To answer your question, yes, we have to do that. We have to find ugly ways to win games because [Sunday] we didn’t shoot it well … when we’re not great offensively we have to find other ways to win.’’
The other ways they found were 25 points off 16 Wizards turnovers, holding the visiting team to a season-low 82 points, including 15 in the fourth, and making sure three-pointers were contested, with Washington shooting just 6-for-28 (21.4%) from long range.
“Doing the right thing, making each game count, playing the right way and playing for each other,’’ guard Zach LaVine said of the team’s performances post-break. “We’re just doing everything the right way.
“We play defense like that every game I think we’ll be alright. Just effort and energy. Holding people accountable and going out there with the same mentality, and even if you make a mistake, move on to the next play and do it better.’’
It’s that accountability department where newly-acquired Patrick Beverley has helped.
While the veteran guard didn’t have the best game statistically – he went scoreless on three shots – he did get the Bulls calmed down in that fourth quarter and into offensive sets that helped put the struggling Wizards away.
“He’s great, just the communication part between he and I,’’ Donovan said of Beverley’s second game with his hometown team. “We’re always talking about, ‘OK, what do we want to flow into here? What do we want to run?’ He’s got a real good handle on that. He’s got a really good voice where he can command the ball and say, ‘Let’s get to these spots, let’s execute what we’re doing right now.’ ‘’
A big reason why the Bulls took a seven-point lead to start that final stanza and turned it into a blowout, outscoring Washington (28-32) 21-10 in the final nine minutes.
But the work is far from over.
Because of the six-game losing streak going into the break, the Bulls are in must-win mode for the final 21 regular-season games, with the next challenge coming Tuesday in Toronto.
“We have to,’’ LaVine said of holding onto that grimy mindset. “We have no choice but to. That’s what we’re looking to do. Taking each game one at a time and looking at that as a must-win. See where it takes us.’’