Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg still isn’t sure everyone gets it.
A good portion of the Bulls’ fan base knows the team is rebuilding and thinks that has to mean losing.
Hoiberg again did his best to try to explain how wrong they are.
‘‘I’ve said this before,’’ Hoiberg said. ‘‘You have to learn how to win. Part of the process is finding a way to go out and close out games. We’re obviously looking for the players on this roster right now that fit long-term, and with that comes who can help close games. It is an important part of it, going out there and hopefully putting yourself in position and then seeing if you have that guy.’’
Make that guys. The last few weeks have shown Hoiberg and his staff the Bulls can close out games by committee.
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The latest example came Wednesday, with the Bulls holding off the Knicks 92-87 for their ninth victory in their last 11 games. And while it wasn’t pretty down the stretch, it was good enough to lift the Bulls’ record to 12-22.
‘‘Kris [Dunn] has really relished that role and has played some of his best basketball down the stretch,’’ Hoiberg said. ‘‘Lauri [Markkanen] has shown no fear, even on poor shooting nights, to step up and make big ones when it matters most. That’s a big part of it.’’
Dunn and Markkanen are definitely a good starting point for the Bulls’ rebuild.
With the score tied at 86 and both teams blowing opportunity after opportunity, Dunn found Markkanen down the court for a go-ahead dunk with 39.2 seconds left.
The Bulls’ defense held the Knicks again, but David Nwaba missed both free throws after being fouled. After Jarrett Jack split two free throws to pull the Knicks to 88-87, Dunn was fouled with 7.8 seconds left.
Dunn struggled with his shot all night, finishing 6-for-18 from the field. But as he has shown in the last month, he rarely blinks in the clutch. He sank both shots to give the Bulls a 90-87 lead.
‘‘My team has a lot of confidence in me,’’ Dunn said of his continued late-game heroics. ‘‘The coaching staff does, too. When the shots are not going in, you can’t hang your head. You’ve gotta keep out there, grinding each and every possession, try and do it on the defensive end. Try and get stops, try and get rebounds, try and do something. When your time comes up, then try and make the shot.’’
After the Knicks’ Enes Kanter missed a wild three-pointer, Justin Holiday put the game on ice by making two free throws. Not bad for a team that trailed by 15 points in the second quarter.
Hoiberg credited the defense.
‘‘We’ve done a really good job with our composure,’’ Hoiberg said. ‘‘We’re hanging in there through tough times.’’
That was something the Bulls didn’t do in their 3-20 start.
‘‘We joke about it all the time,’’ Dunn said of the Bulls’ turnaround in the last 3½ weeks. ‘‘We’re just trying to change it around. It’s a credit to the team.’’
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Email: jcowley@suntimes.com
