The Chicago Bulls are racking up wins. Alex Caruso is stumping for Coby White to make his All-Star debut. And Zach LaVine is eyeing a return in January.
Candace Parker is adding to her own team with the announcement that the former Sky star is expecting her second child with wife, Anna Petrakova.
Every Wednesday throughout the season, Tribune writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead — for the Bulls, Sky and local basketball.
Energy shifts for Bulls amid 6-3 series
Over a small span of time, the Bulls have redefined their outlook in the Eastern Conference.
It’s not quite a streak, but the Bulls have won six of their last nine games. They haven’t lost a game by double digits since Nov. 28. And that nine-game span included wins over the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 7 teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls are still in a six-game hole with an 11-17 record. And they’re still on the bottom shelf in the East, where they stand 12th overall and 3 1/2 games back from eighth place. But the momentum built in the past three weeks is serious, reflecting broad growth from players like White — and a team-wide embrace of offensive and defensive principles that the Bulls have been trying to achieve for three seasons.
“Our energy has been different,” Nikola Vučević said. “We’re playing for each other, sharing the ball, playing at a faster pace. That has brought out the best in everybody. We’ve been enjoying playing. Each night it’s a different guy stepping up. All of us are supporting each other. You can just feel that. And when you play that way, it’s very contagious.”
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