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Bulls rookie Julian Phillips is all in on playing in the ‘Death Lineup’

Nam Y. Huh/AP

The Bulls need an athletic forward to help run the “Death Lineup,” and raw rookie Julian Phillips has no problem raising his hand as a volunteer.

With just a few minutes left in the first quarter Thursday against the Timberwolves, Billy Donovan unhooked the leash and let loose his latest version of the “Death Lineup.’’

It wasn’t the ideal time to go small, it wasn’t the best matchup with Minnesota’s 7-foot-1 glass-wiper Rudy Gobert lurking in the paint, but it was the final preseason game, so the Bulls coach thought “Why not?