A day after being mostly embarrassed by the sub-.500 Charlotte Hornets, the Wizards responded in the second game of a back-to-back with a better effort that was just good enough to secure a 105-101 win over the Chicago Bulls. Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine each scored 35 points, but it was Beal earning a foul call late and LaVine unable to finish over Alex Len that was the difference. In his first career NBA game off the bench, Deni Avdija had just four points on 2-for-9 shooting but did collect a career-high 10 rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes.

Without Russell Westbrook (rest) who has continued to sit out back-to-backs despite Scott Brooks indicating he could play in both such games in the future, Washington improved to 4-3 on the season. A stark difference to the 2-12 the Wizards are with Westbrook on the floor. Correlation does not always mean causation, but five of the Wizards’ best defensive performances have come with Westbrook out. Maybe the team is more focused defensively knowing they cannot outscore opponents without Westbrook’s secondary scoring, maybe. Regardless, the Wizards have to find a way to be equally successful holding opponents under 110 points when their newest supermax point guard is playing.

“I wasn’t too bothered by offense because we defended well,” Bradley Beal said about Washington going without a field goal in the final four-plus minutes. “Granted they made some tough ones down the stretch, but ultimately our defense is what won us the game.”

Avdija came off the bench in the second half against the Hornets, which foreshadowed him coming off the bench to start the game against the Bulls. Scott Brooks cited a hope to jump-start the struggling Davis Bertans as the main reason why. It worked to a degree as Bertans was 4-for-8 from deep in the first half. Despite not starting, Avdija exceeded his season average of 22 minutes per game and spent much of his 28-plus minutes attempting to slow down future All-Star Zach LaVine.

Deni Avdija snaps the Wizards 5+ minute scoreless streak pic.twitter.com/4pLJx8gYR1

— Hoop District (@Hoop_District) February 9, 2021

“I like the fact that he competed. He was guarding a very tough guard. Zach [LaVine] is going to be right there with all the All-Star decisions that all the coaches are going to have to make if he doesn’t get voted in [to start]. He was battling with him,” Scott Brooks commended Avdija’s defensive effort. “I just like the fact that he stayed with it. He didn’t play well the last few games, but he stayed with it and gave us a chance to win this game with his toughness.”

Bertans starting is not indefinite, it may continue for the next handful of games in the near future but it is likely unsustainable against better teams that will carve up the Wizards’ starters defensively. Avdija continued to show his playmaking ability in transition by pushing the tempo off a rebound and should get back into Washington’s starting lineup soon enough.

Deni Avdija continues to showcase his playmaking skills in transition, gets Rui Hachimura an easy look at the rim pic.twitter.com/ksDheNfQvb

— Hoop District (@Hoop_District) February 9, 2021

“He handled it well, I had a great conversation with him. He was excited about the opportunity,” Brooks shared post-game. “I thought he stepped in, he rebounded, he competed on defense, he didn’t make any shots that he would normally make. He handled it like we knew he would handle it. He’s a great kid that’s tough, that works hard. He’s gonna be a starter in this league for 12 to 15 years.”

The Wizards will return to D.C. with a five-game homestand against the Raptors, Knicks, Celtics, Rockets, and Nuggets starting Wednesday night.