With well-rested legs and full stomachs, the Chicago Bulls were looking to bounce back at the Spectrum Center on Black Friday.
The team was coming off arguably their most embarrassing loss of the season in New Orleans. The Pelicans came into Monday night averaging the fewest points in the NBA, yet they dropped a season-high 143 on Chicago’s shaky defense. While Charlotte’s offense has been slightly more effective this season, that didn’t change the fact that this felt like another must-win situation for the Bulls. The Hornets entered with a 4-14 record, a seven-game losing streak, and -5.4 net rating.
Nevertheless, Chicago came out playing the hits (flops?). The Hornets settled into a quick and easy offensive rhythm, capitalizing on the Bulls’ frustratingly weak rim protection with a 7-7 showing in the restricted area. A Tre Jones buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter managed to keep the Bulls within a possession, but the early game script felt eerily familiar.
This became especially true in the second quarter, when the Hornets started to pile on. They built up a double-digit lead thanks largely to some wide-open shots. They drained five threes in the frame compared to the Bulls’ singular triple. This made it easy for them to keep their 67-62 lead despite Chicago pounding the paint and going 12-17.
Coby White came out of the locker room and took matters into his own hands. The guard dropped 14 points in the quarter, which included a much-needed three that made it a 76-73 game. Nikola Vucevic would proceed to put back a missed Kevin Huerter running jumper, tying things up at 78 apiece and forcing a Hornets timeout.
It wasn’t until White scored back-to-back buckets in the final 4 minutes of the quarter that the Bulls had an 86-85 advantage. This was their first lead since the first quarter, and it finally felt like Chicago was on the cusp of taking over the game against a lesser opponent. Alas, they failed the test again.
Charlotte stormed right back and eventually had a 12-4 run to start the fourth quarter that boosted their lead back up to 7 points. Chicago went on to finish the final 12 minutes with a 9-24 shooting display, converting only HALF of their shots at the rim and going 2-10 from long range. The Bulls also had four turnovers in the quarter, playing like a team scared that they were on the cusp of another disastrous loss.
The Hornets’ 123-116 victory means that the Bulls have officially given up 120+ points in their 11th-straight game. According to CHSN, this is the first time the league has seen this in 35 years. So, as if we didn’t already think this defense was bad enough, we can now declare it historically bad.
Roughly a week ago, the Bulls’ upcoming stretch felt like a godsend. They were going to go from a complicated five games in seven days to one of the easiest schedules in the league with the Pelicans, Hornets, Nets, and Pacers on the board. However, after these two losses, the next two weeks feel like anything but a cake walk. Chicago is performing like one of the worst teams in the NBA, and they have not earned the right to be viewed as the obvious favorite against any of these upcoming teams.
Player Grades
Josh Giddey – A-Stats: 25 PTS, 11 REB, 9 AST
There is a case to make that Josh Giddey should have been even more aggressive at times going downhill. He shot 8-16 from the field and got to the free throw line for a team-high 6-7 showing.
Tre Jones – B+Stats: 16 PTS, 4 AST, 5 STL
Tre Jones was a team-high +17 thanks to being one of the few players on this team who pressured the ball and fought on defense. He was everywhere at times.
Coby White – BStats: 25 PTS, 4 AST, 2 REB
While Coby White’s big third quarter put the Bulls in a position to take control of the game, he struggled to close things out. His 1-6 showing from downtown also proved to be a major problem, particularly as the Hornets drained 15 threes.
Nikola Vucevic – CStats: 13 PTS, 14 REB, 3 AST
Returning from his one-game absence, Nikola Vucevic had a hard time against the fresh defensive legs of Ryan Kalkbrenner and the agile athleticism of Moussa Diabate. He also went just 1-5 from three, missing a couple big ones down the stretch.
Matas Buzelis – D+Stats: 8 PTS, 3 AST, 2 REB
This just isn’t the same Matas Buzelis we saw during the early portion of this season. He doesn’t quite look like he knows where to fit in offensively. Yes, he technically had the best +/- of any starter (+14), but I just didn’t feel like he was confident out there.
Ayo Dosunmu – DStats: 5 PTS, 2 AST, 2 REB
How did he not have a better game against this defense?
Chicago Bulls Box Score
Check out the full box score here.
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