A two-game winning streak has breathed new life into the campaign of the Chicago Bulls. And while there’s still plenty of work that needs to be done to overhaul their 7-14 record, the Bulls have seemingly found something that’s going well for them: playing with a faster pace.

In Chicago’s last two victories, they have averaged 122 points per game. In their last outing versus the New Orleans Pelicans, the Bulls had the ball flying from one side to the other, essentially finding the open man nearly every time. Chicago finished the 124-118 win shooting 55 percent from the field and racked up 32 assists.

Better pace and tempo
The Bulls played without All-Stars Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan in their 120-113 overtime victory against the Milwaukee Bucks. The duo’s absence forced the Bulls to play with a faster tempo and ball movement, which were key to their upset win. Although DeRozan was back against the Pels, the Bulls were still able to play fast and with an emphasis on making quick, smart decisions with the basketball.

“We are playing with better pace and tempo,” Donovan shared.

“For us, the faster we can get down the floor—and this is a good defensive team, long and athletic. The speed and pace, it’s not only that, it’s the quick decision. I thought we were pretty decisive the whole night.”

Can they sustain it?
The Bulls have a few days to get some rest and prepare for a match-up against the Charlotte Hornets on December 7. While the last two wins have been encouraging, it remains to be seen if the Bulls can sustain their newfound energy and focus.

“The spirit is there, the fight is there, and offensively, what is encouraging to me the last two games is we’ve scored (at least) 120 points. A lot of that has to do with the tempo, pace we are getting up and down the floor. I’ve been talking about that awhile, and the biggest thing is can we sustain that; it’s the challenge,” Donovan said.