Wednesday Play-In

Kelly Dwyer

16 Apr 2025 — 8 min read

CHICAGO

C: Nikola Vucevic – cut the long twos almost completely, and the Bulls thrived as a result. Chicago almost won half its games.
F: Matas Buzelis – 13-4-2 with a block on 47-35-80 as a starter, 31 starts, 26 minutes a game, still 20. Shaved. Shaved that thing off. Haircut still there but, again, 20. Seeks the corners offensively, starts and then runs the break, already one of the NBA's all-time greats.
F: Josh Giddey – developed an inflamed right forearm late in 2024-25, injured after Giddey learned how to shoot straight.

SG: Kevin Huerter – over 14 a game in March and April as a starter, 48 from the field and 37 percent from deep, 14 total free throws in 582 minutes.
G: Coby White – watched as the Bulls drafted a point guard (Ayo), traded for a point guard (Lonzo) and then traded for an Australian point guard (Josh-o) and hung tight, averaged 27 a game in March, hit 60 percent of his twos in April.

Dalen Terry is not a good NBA player and he's not even a point guard but every other game he'll drop an assist which will drop your jaw ... Patrick Williams shot 45 percent on twos and 35 percent on threes but that's OK because he was 15th on the Bulls at earning free throws ... Zach Collins is why Player Efficiency Rating never caught on in America ... And before you say, Kelly, Zach Collins doesn't even have all that great a PER and I'd say "exactly" and you'd say why do I get italics and you get quotation marks and I'd say "style."

Talen Horton-Tucker is a big butt of fun to watch although no, Laker and Jazz fans, he isn't throwing as many of those cool passes as he used to.

Julian Phillips is not the lady from the .38 Special video but a basketball player, he shows up for every game (79 appearances in 2024-25) and averaged 4.6 points per game, though he only scored four points in a contest nine different times. I think he's supposed to be an able defender but I can't tell, perhaps Game No. 80 will help.

Jalen Smith fell out of the rotation due to injury and Buzelis' emergence, he either doesn't play at all or plays a ton, doesn't matter, the real point here is that Rich Paul will bring LeBron James to the Bulls in 2010.

We knew the Bulls would lurch toward the Play-In, we didn't know they'd run. Second in pace, for Billy Donovan's team, and far away from the pack in the first two months of the season. He identified a group of players who could handle the speed and, uh, ran with it. Addled the most at first was Coby White but CW caught up by midseason and was quicker than anyone after the All-Star break, midsection made stronger by repeatedly leaning over and tugging at his shorts in November and December.

The cynical thing is to say you've learned nothing from the Bulls, and I didn't, but this isn't an example of my distaste for the predictable, Play-In-projectin' franchise. It is just something people say about their favorite teams.

The ball was going to move once Zach LaVine left, luckily it fell into more capable hands than when Chicago traded for Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden, but that's what Huerter and Collins are: Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden.

We are not surprised Lonzo Ball returned to play well, though it is a surprise and massive disappointment he jetted on the team once his contract extension clicked. It is not a surprise Patrick Williams is still bad at the only job he's ever had. He should switch teams. They still pay the same contract from the old team once you move to a new team.

MIAMI

Lost to the Bulls three times in three competitive outings nobody should have to watch again.

C: Bam Adebayo – built upon his three-point stroke as the year moved along and is absolutely in line to knock Chicago out of the Play-In with a 4-7 night from the three-point line on Wednesday evening.
PF: Kel'el Ware – should be motivated to pair with Chicago's tall rookie, they were familiar with each other pre-draft and each had their moments as All-Rookie Team candidates in the second part of the regular season. Played well in three separate outings against Chicago in the regular season, averaged 12 and 10, hit 17-28 from the floor.
F: Andrew Wiggins – if healthy, can absolutely gather up all the lost possessions and drive Miami to two consecutive wins and a playoff berth. Just throw him out there for 42 minutes and see what happens when the ball careens toward his head.
G: Tyler Herro – still genuinely awed and somewhat inspired by his decision-making down the stretch in his last visit to the city by the lake, ESPN will show the attempt many times on Wednesday and Herro (a forever-rival with Coby White) will spend all evening trying to score it out of memory.
G: Alec Burks – am I slyly counting on Alec Burks to knock Chicago out of the Play-In, back into the lottery, up to the No. 1 pick? Perhaps. There's a reason we don't discuss individual performances ahead of time on this site, blends with the wagering angle, we can't have that.

Some people base their betting on broader types, Jimmy the Greek or Timmy the Macedonian or Alan the Albanian.

Me, I follow Tommy the Wimp:

The Heat did not deliver a potent second half to the season, 12-20 after the Butler decision, 5-12 with Wiggins in the lineup, but Davion Mitchell played well down the stretch, Haywood Highsmith worked well despite being in and out of the starting lineup, Kyle Anderson will earn plenty of chances in the Chicago and Duncan Robinson is still the club's designated spacer.

Terry Rozier will be available, he isn't well but he ain't dead. Jamie Jacquez Jr. is more than capable of bumping enough defenders out of the way and toward the And-1's to put the Bulls away.

After the loss, and I think I have this correctly, the Bulls play the Raptors on Thursday?

ESPN at 7:30 Eastern, so, ESPN at 7:42 Eastern

SACRAMENTO

Beat the Mavericks thrice in thrice tries, although Dallas was hardly healthy. The third win came on the evening Kyrie Irving tore his ACL.

C: Domantas Sabonis – led league in rebounds per game for third consecutive season and is now only 320 rebounds shy of David Lee on the NBA's all-time list.
F: Keegan Murray – watch Keegan Murray for a game and you wind up rooting for his career more than most players, 184 turnovers in 7580 career minutes (78 games a year, 32 minutes per game), always looks a little annoyed but never does anything about it.
F/G: DeMar DeRozan – 55 percent True Shooting on his career, 50 percent True Shooting in the postseason.
SG: Zach LaVine – 654 career games, four postseason contests.
G: Keon Ellis – 44 percent three-point shooting in 28 starts this season, 43 percent from deep on the season, let's do this.

Underrated NBA sound? The home crowd after an offensive rebound is yanked off a missed free throw. Looking toward Jonas Valančiūnas, Play-In Champion, to help us with this whoosh.

Devin Carter is ready to take three-to-five offensive fouls in this game ... Jake LaRavia will not play with a bum right thumb but it was fun while it lasted ... Trey Lyles is Sacramento's do-everything big man, has to be, they don't have any other big men besides Trey and Jonas.

Remarkable names on this team: Jae Crowder, Doug McDermott, Markelle Fultz. Terence Davis, to me, is a name. I don't think we'll see any of them on Wednesday but then again I was the guy who promised no Caleb Houstan, I thought his recent prominence was a March thing, I didn't think he'd be the first guy off Orlando's bench. Do you know how many times I told myself to click over to the lead tab and add Gui Santos? What kind of a jerk forgets Gui Santos.

Malik Monk is out but he wears interesting sweaters.

DALLAS

C: Dereck Lively II – only now returning to NBA speed, a bit of a hallmark among these Mavericks. Mavs organization wants him to flood the zone and just hope they only call some of the fouls he'll commit on Domantas Sabonis.
F/C: Anthony Davis – 20 and 10 and two blocks and four assists per game as a Mav. If they could only get him to an actual playoff series.
F: P.J. Washington – has the footwork and length to make DeMar DeRozan's typical evening at the office a stressful one. Also has the length to be baited off his feet by several Kings across Wednesday evening. The Mavericks aren't uneasy with their tall lineups but they are still getting used to them.
F/G: Naji Marshall – a beacon all season, someone to find when the play and/or 2024-25 was falling apart.
G/F: Klay Thompson – nearly two-thirds of his attempts are threes, 39 percent, and he notched his lowest mark on two-pointers since his second season. Still has the legs for the occasional quick hitter down low, but it might be happening soon defensively. Even when it happens, Klay knows how to funnel. In the matchup-mad playoffs, he'll have to hide, he knows how to hide.

The Mavericks didn't start Spencer Dinwiddie in Dallas' last two games, would they try that against the Keon Ellis-led Kings? Spencer drives, he pushes, he doesn't stop the ball, he is an absolute veteran point guard, but, defense wins championships?

Marshall's been in the starting lineup for 19 of the Mavs final 23 games, Klay hasn't come off the bench all season, Washington only once in 59 appearances, Lively would appear a strong candidate but Anthony Davis doesn't want to play power forward. Also, defensive wins championships. Requires restatement.

Jaden Hardy, ready to change your pace, Daniel Gafford, ready to dunk in a face. Hardy would seem apt to start at point guard in a pinch if Dinwiddie's shot leaves him but, remember, defense wins championships. Gafford, on average, takes his attempts from 2.6 centimeters away from the basket.

Max Christie averaged over 30 minute and 11 points per game as a Maverick this season but I gotta be honest I don't think he's done grieving yet ... Brandon Williams was awfully slick with the ball in his hands down the stretch of this season, if he is in top gear (oblique strain? Or excuse to sit out the final game?) at Sacramento the dude could run circles around the Kings' bench ... Caleb Martin could help, just another one of these Sons of Havlicek running around our postseason. Love a swingman.

Love an Australian: Dante Exum, legend, dished ten assists in 41 minutes (over two games) against Sacramento this season ... Dwight Powell, available to place a bent arm on Domantas Sabonis' back. Also available for less-legal defense, scrapes and pushes and straight arms, two straight arms. Hips and knees.

Because defense, let me tell you, defense wins championships.

This game is on ESPN after the first one

THREE-TIME LOSER