The Chicago Bulls had a tough defeat against the Denver Nuggets tonight, losing 114-109. The Bulls almost came back from a 10 point deficit in the fourth quarter, but Ty Lawson made a clutch basket at the end to seal the victory for Denver. Here are grades on the player’s performances in the game!
Derrick Rose – D-
Stat line: 2 points, 3 assists, 0 rebounds, 1-4 shooting
Tonight’s game was rough for Rose, who managed to only play 10 minutes before injuring his left hamstring and leaving the game. While Rose was on the court, he didn’t play very well. It seems that his ankles may still be bothering him, as he got lost on defense against Lawson a few times. Look for Rose to continue shaking off his rust as the season progresses, even if he played poorly tonight.
Jimmy Butler – A
Stat line: 32 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 7-13 shooting, 18-20 on free-throws
Butler was easily the best player in the game. He was drawing fouls every time he drove to the hoop, made his jump shots, created second chance opportunities, and even played fantastic defense! Butler almost carried the Bulls to a comeback victory, but unfortunately, his efforts did not elevate them. Another game, another awesome performance for Jimmy G “Buckets.”
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Mike Dunleavy – B
Stat line: 17 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, 0 assists, 5-9 shooting
Dunleavy played well against the Nuggets, but other than his scoring, he didn’t have a huge impact on the game. He made three-pointers when it looked like the Nuggets were starting to pull away, keeping the Bulls in the game at all times. Dunleavy continues to prove that he is a valuable veteran player for the Bulls, and they will need him to perform at a high level each game for them to win games.
Pau Gasol – A
Stat line: 22 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 10-20 shooting
Simply put, Gasol dominated in this game. He was an absolute beast on the offensive end, bullying every single Nuggets defender who attempted to guard him, whether it be Timofey Mozgov, J.J. Hickson, or Kenneth Farried. The Bulls continuously fed him the ball in the paint, and since the Nuggets never double-teamed him, he was able to convert. Even though Gasol had a team-high 11 rebounds, the Bulls still were out-rebounded 45-37 in the game.
Cameron Bairstow – F
Stat line: 2 points, 1 block, 1-4 shooting
With Joakim Noah out, Cameron Bairstow got his first start ever with the Bulls. Let’s just say it didn’t go too well for the rookie, who only scored 2 points on 1-4 shooting. Bairstow got a solid 19 minutes of play, and he hardly managed to accomplish anything. His defense was sub-par, and he finished the game with a plus/minus of -13, the lowest of any player on either team.
Bench – B
Chicago’s bench mob had a solid overall performance. Although Doug McDermott finished the game with 0 points in 11 minutes of action, everyone else did well. Nicola Mirotic played well, finishing with 4 points and 7 rebounds, but his hustle and effort helped the Bulls. Aaron Brooks and Kirk Hinrich combined for 26 points (16 and 10 respectively), and they both made some clutch shots. However, they shot a combined 8-20 from the field.
Conclusion
The Bulls lost a game that they could have won. Although some players had an awesome game, there were too many players who made a lot of mistakes, or simply weren’t very involved on the floor. The Bulls were stagnant on offense throughout the game, and whenever Butler or Gasol wasn’t scoring, it seemed nothing got done. The loss of Derrick Rose hurt them, but he too was playing poorly. On the defensive end, the Nuggets excelled in the pick and roll. The Nuggets also beat the Bulls in fast-break points, 23-9.