While it feels hard to call this a trap game with the Chicago Bulls down their two top backcourt players, it sure felt like it in the first quarter. Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren were both ruled out shortly before tip-off, joining a long list of Pistons who were stuck in street clothes. This meant increased playing time for a handful of motivated youngsters and rotation players. And they took full advantage.
Duncan Robinson came out firing. Taking over the primary scoring role, he started the night 3-4 from deep. He paced the Pistons to a 7-12 shooting effort from long range in the first quarter, matching their TOTAL NUMBER OF MADE THREES from opening night at the United Center. It was an incredibly impressive start considering the team’s shooting woes to start the year. The Pistons came into the night shooting the third-fewest attempts a night and just 34.1 percent from long range, which ranked 20th overall. They were also moving the ball shockingly well. They assisted on seven of their first 10 made field goals despite coming into the night bottom five in assist percentage.
The Pistons’ uncharacteristic play style undoubtedly caught this Bulls team off guard, but it sure didn’t help that their own offense couldn’t get going. They shot just 9-23 in the opening frame, which included just a 5-12 start at the rim. To say they were desperately missing Josh Giddey’s command of the offense would be an understatement.
Chicago’s bench tried to check in and give them the spurt they always do, but the Pistons’ ragtag group just kept their foot on the gas. Detroit still dropped 33 points in the second quarter and entered the half with a 68-52 advantage. What stung most was the fact that their final three points of the quarter came off Kevin Huerter fouling Chaz Lanier behind the arc with 0.2 seconds left to go.
To the Bulls’ credit, they kept chipping away. They were able to shrink the deficit to single digits a couple of times in the frame, only for the Pistons to fly down the court and immediately respond. This ultimately led to the Bulls facing the same 16-point deficit they entered the half with at the end of the quarter. But, hey, at least it didn’t grow!
Indeed, thanks to keeping the things knotted up in the third quarter, they gave themselves a fighter’s chance down the stretch. A 15-0 scoring run that saw four of the five Bulls on the court find the bottom of the net cut the Pistons’ lead to 95-50 with 9:10 left to go. Then, following a Javonte Green bucket, the Bulls would force their way to the charity stripe twice to shockingly make it a one-point game.
While I would like to say that it suddenly felt like Chicago’s game for the taking … I can’t. Paul Reed went right down the floor to convert the and-one bucket. An Ayo Dosunmu missed layup then led to an athletic Ron Holland dunk through traffic. Chicago kept trying to finally get over the hump, but the Pistons seemingly always had an answer.
The final blow came from the same man who threw the first punch. Robinson drilled a triple with 4:34 left to make it a 111-102 game. He would make another one a little over a minute later. Agile big man Reed did the rest of the dirty work, and the Pistons finished off the unexpected 124-113 win.
This felt like an all-too-familiar loss for the Bulls. Time and again over the last few years, we have seen Bulls teams play down to their opponents. We have also seen them exert so much energy in heroic comebacks only to lose steam in the final minutes. Now, is it important to consider the injuries at play here? Of course. But the fact of the matter is that the Pistons were dealing with even more bumps and bruises, and this is a game the Bulls should have won.
Worst loss of the season yet.
Player Grades:
Kevin Huerter – AStats: 20 PTS, 2 AST, 2 STL
The Bulls needed someone to step up on the offensive end tonight, and Kevin Huerter did exactly that. He was shockingly aggressive around the rim and played a major role in keeping the energy afloat. I continue to give him a lot of credit for the way he’s played this season. Keep in mind, he was 0-4 from downtown and still dropped 20!
Matas Buzelis – B+Stats: 21 PTS, 14 REB, 2 AST
I give Matas Buzelis a lot of credit. He stepped up on the glass and took advantage of Jalen Duren’s absence. He also shot 7-14 from the field and a perfect 5-5 at the free throw line. It was also his first double-double of the season!
Isaac Okoro – BStats: 15 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 3 BLK
Isaac Okoro played the second-most minutes tonight and came up with some big plays as the Bulls cut the Pistons’ lead to single digits in the fourth. He’s now dropped at least 14 points in four of his last six games.
Ayo Dosunmu – C-Stats: 12 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL
In a night where Josh Giddey was off the floor, the Bulls needed A LOT more from Ayo Dosunmu. I honestly don’t know if he’s playing at 100 percent after shooting 4-12. This felt like the kind of game where he should have had far more control offensively.
Nikola Vucevic – D+Stats: 6 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST
You didn’t have to deal with Jalen Duren … and this is what you do? Yeesh.
Chicago Bulls Box Score:
Check out the full box score here.
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