Amid a season of disappointment, speculation and turmoil, the #TNTBulls have provided fans with the most enjoyable moments. Enjoyable, but also maddening. If Fred Hoiberg’s crew can constantly win games against primetime-worthy opponents, why can’t they beat the NBA’s basement dwellers on a consistent basis?
No one knows.
And yet, the TNT streak lives on as the Bulls conquered LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night 99-93. That’s a 4-0 season sweep over the defending champions and 20 straight wins when the Bulls play home games on TNT. Rajon Rondo led a furious rally in the 3rd quarter, which Chicago won 37-21 to take their first lead since the 1st quarter. Rondo flirted with a triple double, finishing with 7 points, 15 assists and 9 rebounds. The 15 dimes were a season high for the veteran point guard. Jimmy Butler chipped in with 25 points on 10-17 shooting.
But this win was all about the Man of March: Nikola Mirotic.
ThreeKola
Mirotic has been on a tear in the back half of March. His three best scoring nights of the season have come in the last four games. He poured in 28 points each in wins over Detroit and Milwaukee. In those contests Niko shot a combined 10-15 on three pointers. He kept that hot streak going against Cleveland, scoring 28 points again on 6-11 from downtown. In doing so, Mirotic became the first player in Bulls franchise history to make 6 three pointers in back-to-back games.
This was the continuation of another strange trend on #TNTBulls Night. Mirotic led all NBA players in 4th quarter scoring during his rookie campaign of 2014-15. After a disappointing start to his sophomore season, Niko bounced back with another strong March in 2016. This season, his March numbers look like this: 14.2 points (47.9% FG), 5.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists.
Mirotic is entering a restricted free agency this summer. He’s expressed his desire to stay in Chicago, and is playing like he wants to prove to his employers that he’s worth the investment. Can he keep this momentum going as the Bulls fight for a playoff spot?
6 games to play, and the Bulls are 1 game behind Miami and Indiana for the final spot. Let’s hope ThreeKola keeps it going. They’ll need him.
