Ah, the bad old days.
Last night’s ugly 124-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons felt a lot like the Chicago Bulls of the past few years. Handed an opportunity to snap a losing streak against a heavily depleted opponent, they played easily their worst game of the 2025-26 season. After narrowly taking down the San Antonio Spurs with the same lineup, they played down to the makeshift Pistons rotation and faced a double-digit deficit for essentially the entire game.
No Cade Cunningham or Jalen Duren. No Tobias Harris, Ausar Thompson, or Isaiah Stewart. The Bulls allowed Paul Reed, who had yet to play more than 15 minutes in any game this season, to drop 28 points on 11-13 shooting. They let Duncan Robinson light them up with a 7-10 shooting display from downtown. Daniss Jenkins – playing in only his 14th-ever NBA game and having only 104 career minutes under his belt – dropped 18 points and 12 assists.
Yes, the Bulls have dealt with their own injury trouble. Missing Josh Giddey, Coby White, and Zach Collins matters. But should it have mattered nearly as much as Detroit’s injury report, which includes an All-NBA-caliber performer? No. The game was right there for the taking, and the Bulls ran in the opposite direction. It felt painfully familiar.
The Bulls came in expecting one thing and got entirely another. Detroit has been a physical team that pounds the paint and dominates the glass. Well, without their top playmaker and most imposing big man, the identity completely changed. The moment they matched their total made threes from opening night (7) in the first quarter alone is the same moment I knew the Bulls were in trouble. Detroit went on to shoot 13-30 from downtown and 55.6 percent from the field overall. Also, despite coming into the night with the sixth-worst assist percentage in the league, they dished 30 assists on 50 made field goals. This was their second-highest tally of the year. As for the Josh Giddey-less Bulls, their 21 dimes were a season low. Billy Donovan said all the right things. The head coach made clear that the effort shown by this group in Detroit – regardless of the injury report – went against everything they built to start the year.“That was the biggest surprise to me, that there was absolutely zero desperation, and we need to be desperate,” Donovan told Bulls dot com. “We’re not talented enough not to be desperate, and we’re not gifted enough not to be desperate. We have to be desperate. I feel like up to this point in time this season we’ve played with that kind of mentality. I didn’t think we played with that mentality. And if we don’t play with that mentality, that’s what we look like.
Is part of this on Donovan, as well? Of course, and I commend him for taking responsibility. But that doesn’t make anything he said in the quote above wrong. The Bulls don’t have the talent advantage most nights. They do not have that superstar. What they do have is great depth and a rock-solid identity that led them to one of the best starts in the NBA. If they don’t come out playing like the smarter and more energetic team, they are going to be embarrassed. Donovan knows it. Dec 28, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach billy Donovan talks with Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams (44) and guard Coby White (0) during the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Chicago is now 6-5 after starting the year 5-0. Their net rating has ranked 8th-worst in the NBA over this four-game losing streak, knocking their overall net rating on the season down to 19th. Once looking like a fiery young team ready to exceed expectations, the Bulls now look a lot more like the middling group we all expected. Can you guess where they currently sit in the Eastern Conference? In a very familiar No. 9 spot. With that said, I’m not advising anyone to throw in the towel. There are still several highly encouraging things we have seen from this group, and we do need to put some stock into who they played over this four-game stretch. Yes, the Pistons’ loss was a huge missed opportunity, but dropping games to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Donovan Mitchell, and Victor Wembanyama isn’t something to hang your head over. And this is especially true when we consider they were very much in all of those games! There is plenty of time for this group to relocate some of the early-season magic, particularly over the next three weeks. If you haven’t seen the upcoming schedule, I highly encourage you to give it a look. As long as they can right the wrongs of last night’s game, they should be able to climb back up the ladder. Good News: The Chicago Bulls Could Have A Lot of Wins Coming Up … If anyone in red deserves a shoutout after last night’s game, it’s Kevin Huerter. The forward continues to flash a far more well-rounded scoring ability than anyone expected. On a night where he didn’t knock down a single three, Huerter still led the team with 28 points on 10-17 shooting from the field. The bulk of his action came in the paint, where he shot 10-12! He has done a great job this season consistently hustling in transition and filling open space in the halfcourt. It’s also easy to forget that he’s a strong six-foot-six. When he is cutting hard ot the rim or attacking the basket off the bounce, he can finish over a handful of defenders. At least if the Chicago Bulls keep playing like this, we could get Noa Essengue minutes sooner rather than later! He looked AWESOME in his G League debut. Yup, Noa Essengue Looked the Part in Windy City Bulls Debut! ICYMI: I attended a small event for Joakim Noah’s new travel show this week. Here are my thoughts on the experience … Joakim Noah’s New Travel Show is a Reminder of What Makes Him Special Bleacher Nation Fantasy is running a special one-day-only promo. ALL USERS can get a 20 percent deposit match (up to $200) with code TURBO. Deal expires at midnight. It’s a great night to pair some NBA picks with Thursday night football! The Cubs have their eye on one of MLB’s top overseas pitching prospects this offseason. Can they land him? Blackhawks youngster Sam Rinzel has slipped down the lineup. Can he work his way back up?MORE FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
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