Complete with an official anthem courtesy of Grammy-winning artist LL Cool J and a bright-red alternate court — the first time the Bulls have played on an alternate court — the NBA’s new In-Season Tournament began Friday with the Bulls hosting the Nets.
Group-play games take place on Tuesdays and Fridays in November. The Bulls will play one game each against the Nets, Magic, Raptors and Celtics before the top teams in each of the six groups and two wild cards will advance to the quarterfinals. The NBA created the new tournament to add some competitiveness into the regular season.
‘‘It’s another opportunity for the NBA to create more fans, different types of buzz,’’ Bulls guard Zach LaVine said before the Bulls’ 109-107 loss. ‘‘And it’s the first of its kind, so we’ll go out there and figure out what it’s like. It is going to be fun.’’
The monetary prize for the tournament is $500,000 to players on the winning team, $200,000 to players on the runner-up, $100,000 to players on teams that lose in the semifinals and $50,000 to players on teams that lose in the quarterfinals.
‘‘No one ever turns down money,’’ said LaVine, who said he was eager to see the atmosphere of the game. ‘‘That was good. It gives guys who are very competitive added fuel.’’
Coach Billy Donovan said the games matter because they also count in the regular-season standings. The tournament championship will take place Dec. 9 in Las Vegas.
‘‘It’s an exciting opportunity,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘I know the league invested a lot. We certainly put a lot of importance on it and feel it’s important, and it’s a great opportunity in one of these games . . . to advance and accumulate points to get to Vegas.’’
Injury update
Guard Ayo Dosunmu missed the game against the Nets and will miss the game Saturday against the Nuggets with what the Bulls called an upper respiratory illness.
LaVine was dealing with spasms in his lower back but played against the Nets.
‘‘I think he’s still dealing with and managing his back,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘Obviously, we’ve got to put it on [the injury report] when stuff comes up and flares up, and he’s been dealing with it for a little bit. He’ll probably be taken off, but until that point we’ll keep him there just because sometimes he has some days that are better than others, so to speak.’’
Lineup change
Forward Patrick Williams has struggled immensely to begin his fourth season. He entered the game against the Nets averaging four points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
In a surprising move, Donovan elected to start forward Torrey Craig over Williams for the first time. Williams responded by coming off the bench to score a season-high 10 points and grab five rebounds.
‘‘We want to see Patrick do well,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘Everybody believes in Patrick. He has certainly shown, in the time that he’s been here, a lot of positive signs of growth.
‘‘The first five games, he has not maybe gotten off to the start that we all hoped he would have. But the one thing I respect about Patrick, in my conversations with him, it has always been, ‘I have to figure this out.’ ’’
Despite Williams’ struggles, Donovan said he is an important part of the team, whether he starts or comes off the bench.
‘‘We’re always evaluating all those things inside our team,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘Patrick is going to play an important role, and maybe in some of the games we’ve played there’s been times where he hasn’t played that much in the second half.’’
