With play-in game approaching, Bulls have to balance rest and rhythm

The Bulls’ starting lineup Friday consisted of Coby White, Onuralp Bitim, Dalen Terry, Torrey Craig and, at center, Javonte Green, all 6-5 of him.

Yes, it’s that time of the season.

With the Bulls clinching the No. 9 seed and the home play-in game against the Hawks, coach Billy Donovan used the game against the Wizards to get a look at his depth and, more important, to give DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Alex Caruso some much-needed rest.

The Bulls have a day off in New York on Saturday before wrapping up the regular season Sunday afternoon against the Knicks. Donovan was still weighing rest vs. rhythm.

He wants to get guys off their feet, especially DeRozan, who led the league in minutes most of the season, but Donovan also wants to make sure that his players stay locked in for the play-in game.

“Now that everything is solidified on where we’re at, I think the load of a back-to-back is certainly a lot,” Donovan said. “Back-to-backs are hard for everybody. We’ll probably talk after the game, tomorrow, about the New York game in terms of their availability.

“When you talk about a guy’s rhythm and playing, there is a sensitivity to those guys on what they need, and that’s the conversation that needs to take place after the game with DeMar. Like, where are they at?”

There’s a good chance that DeRozan, Vucevic and Caruso would get normal first-half minutes against the Knicks, start the third quarter off in the normal rotation, then be pulled, but the players will let Donovan know what they’re comfortable with.

The other factor Sunday will be the two injured players — Ayo Dosunmu (quadriceps) and Andre Drummond (left ankle).

Dosunmu has missed three games with the injury, and Drummond missed a second consecutive game.

“In my conversations with those guys, they feel like they’re getting closer to playing, but medical will make the decision on whether there’s any kind of risk there,” Donovan said. “I know in talking to Andre, he was hopeful that he could play against New York, but, again, there hasn’t been much opportunity for him to run around and play.”

Drummond was still in and out of a boot, but Donovan said that was more precautionary to keep the weight off his foot.

Green’s impact

Donovan hasn’t been surprised with Green’s transition back into the mix since being signed from the G League last month, but considering how long he was rehabbing from knee surgery, his performances, including a 20-point first half against the Wizards, have been eye-opening.

“I really felt like the transition would be a smooth one because he’s played with these guys, and he knows these guys,” Donovan said.

“The biggest thing was the limited amount of time he had to play because of his rehab from his knee.

‘‘To me, he does not look like he’s lost any athleticism. He’s high motor, high energy, and you know what you’re going to get from him every night. He’s obviously been a huge bright spot for us and made a huge impact.”