For their second game of group play in the NBA's newly founded In-Season Tournament, the Bulls hosted the Magic --- who they also saw and lost to on Wednesday --- on Friday night.
Here are 10 observations from the game:
--- DeMar DeRozan missed Wednesday's game against the Magic to tend to a personal matter. Billy Donovan said the team would give him as much time as he needed to handle his off-court affairs. Ahead of Friday's game, Donovan announced DeRozan would return to the team and play against the Magic.
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--- Alex Caruso got his first starting nod of the season, taking over the four-spot. Torrey Craig will go back to the bench after overtaking Patrick Williams initially for the starting spot. Donovan was hesitant to start Caruso, as he's trying to keep him on a minute restriction to prevent injury.
--- Speaking of Caruso, he was everywhere in the first quarter. He nailed three 3-pointers in the first quarter, tying his career high for most 3-pointers in a single quarter, according to Bulls PR. Donovan subbed him out for Craig halfway through the first quarter to abide by his minute restriction.
--- The Bulls' reserves looked discombobulated in the first half, scoring just one point to the Magic's 24 off the bench. Caruso's insertion in the starting lineup made life on offense difficult for the Bulls' reserves. Between Craig, Patrick Williams, Andre Drummond, Ayo Dosunmu and Jevon Carter, they went 0-for-6 in the first half.
--- On Wednesday, the Bulls scored a measly 33 points in the first half --- tied for sixth-fewest first-half points in franchise history. They followed up that dud with another on Friday, scoring another paltry 33 points. Both 33-point first halves mark the two lowest in the NBA this season.
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--- Turnovers haven't been a major problem all season until recently. They put up 12 in the first half to the Magic's nine. What's worse, the Magic capitalized on those turnovers, scoring 21 first-half points in return. The Bulls finished with 16 turnovers.
--- The Bulls responded with force in the third quarter, scoring 32 points. They trailed by 20 points at one instance in the quarter but brought the Magic's lead back down to single-digits by the quarter's end. Zach LaVine led the way, putting up a quick 13 points coming out of the second half.
--- Together, DeRozan and LaVine were exceptional. LaVine finished with 34, DeRozan with 23. They finished a combined 22-for-40 from the field, adding 10 rebounds and six assists to their combined stat sheet.
--- This play shouldn't go unmentioned. To embellish the Bulls' phenomenal fourth-quarter offensive run, Coby White absolutely postered Paolo Banchero. You need to see this.
--- Donovan drew up a clean look for Nikola Vucevic on a wide-open corner 3-pointer that would've given the Bulls a one-point lead with seconds on the clock. Alas, Vucevic clunked it. He finished with a double-double, putting up 10 points and 10 rebounds. He finished shooting 4-of-16 from the field.
--- The Bulls finished their second game that counts for the In-Season Tournament, now 0-2 in group play. The Celtics lead with a 2-0 record, and the Nets follow with a 2-1 record. This game marked the Bulls' final home game of group play, leaving them on the road against the Celtics and the Raptors for their final two games.