PHOENIX — Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan was aware of Kevin Durant without needing to be warned.
He coached Durant for a season in Oklahoma City, where he quickly became familiar with Durant’s strong desire to win at the end of games.
“He’ll be remembered as one of the greatest scorers in the history of this game,” Donovan said. “He doesn’t avoid matchups. … He is not afraid in the moment. He embraces that. He wants every bit of that.”
So when Durant scored 30 points in the second half on Monday, including a game-winning jumper with 1.6 seconds left, Donovan was not surprised — just frustrated that his team was the victim.
He shrugged as he took his seat for his postgame media session.
“I told you so,” Donovan said.
Durant’s 43-point performance led to the Bulls' 113-115 defeat at the Footprint Center. The Bulls now have a 21-24 record and are still ninth in the Eastern Conference.
Here are five things to learn from the defeat.
1. Assists fueled the Bulls’ first-quarter surge.
The Bulls found an immediate rhythm, recording assists on their first 10 field goals as they jumped to a 19-point lead. Ball movement was crucial to the early success, with the Bulls tallying 12 assists in the first quarter, led by Coby White (five) and Nikola Vučević (four).
With the ball moving around the court, the Bulls shot 65.2% and went 7-for-14 behind the 3-point line to score 37 points, their best quarter of the season.
In what’s becoming typical for the Bulls, White was the standout of the offensive surge, scoring 11 points and going 3-for-3 behind the arc.
2. Alex Caruso’s foul trouble helped the Suns mount a third-quarter comeback.
The Bulls extended their lead to 23 points four minutes into the third quarter. However, the Suns started to regain control as the game became increasingly aggressive.
DeMar DeRozan argued with Grayson Allen. Drew Eubanks pushed White. Andre Drummond pushed Eubanks. DeRozan had his shot blocked while trying to dunk over Eubanks in retaliation.
The first half showcased a strong defensive effort led by Alex Caruso, who ended with three blocked shots. Caruso took on the challenging task of guarding Durant, while Ayo Dosunmu often helped to create traps and disrupt Durant’s rhythm.
But the Bulls struggled without Caruso on the court — particularly in the last seven minutes of the third quarter.
Caruso had to sit out after getting his fourth foul. With the Bulls’ best defender off the court, the Suns went on a 24-11 run to reduce the lead to seven points entering the fourth quarter.
3. DeMar DeRozan and Coby White competed with Kevin Durant.
Durant took control in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 points to fuel a 32-point quarter for the Suns.
The Bulls threw defenders at Durant but it was ineffective. He only missed two field goals — both were 3-point attempts — as he calmly erased the Bulls' lead.
On the Suns’ final play, Durant received a pass at the top of the key, took a single dribble before shooting, then adjusted the ball midair to avoid Caruso’s jumping block attempt before making a certain shot for the game-winner.
DeRozan scored an equalizer with 22 seconds remaining on his signature turnaround jumper in the paint. However, his potential game-winning 3-point attempt missed slightly and bounced off the rim, leaving the Bulls very close to a win.
“He’s one of the best players in the game,” DeRozan said. “You have to congratulate him. It’s amazing what he can do — but despite that, we still had an opportunity.”
4. The Bulls won the rebounds but surrendered an important second chance.
The Bulls grabbed more rebounds than the Suns, 14-5 on the offensive boards, and scored 17-9 in second-chance points.
But they surrendered an important second chance that could have secured the game when Eubanks grabbed an offensive rebound and passed to Durant for a go-ahead 3-pointer with 30 seconds left.
5. DeMar DeRozan objected to a reversed call.
The momentum shifted in the Suns’ favor after a reversed call in the final three minutes.
DeRozan believed he had the opportunity to put the Bulls up by two possessions when he made a baseline jumper over Allen and was fouled on his way down. However, the Suns contested the call, claiming that DeRozan had fouled Allen by grabbing him with his left hand as he fell.
Suns coach Frank Vogel successfully challenged, overturning the points and giving the ball to the Suns with 2:08 left.
“That was unfair in my opinion,” DeRozan said. “Regardless, I still thought I was fouled first. That disadvantaged us. Give us that free throw, and the game would be entirely different.”
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