Setback by a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers the night before, the Chicago Bulls looked to regain footing Sunday night in a west coast matchup with the Lakers at the Staples Center.
Next: Bulls at Clippers: Game Takeaways
The choice to start Rajon Rondo, who sat out of the team’s first two Circus Trip stops, came down to a game-time decision. Dwyane Wade would take the night off for some rest citing fatigue.
Knowing they would be shorthanded, it appears the Bulls took to the court with interest in getting off to a good start.Jimmy Butler slid over to shooting guard to allow Nikola Mirotic to start at small forward.
Would that make for a good decision?
I think not, but more on that later.
The Bulls made it a point to get inside the paint and they dominated in the early minutes. Together, Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler led the Bulls in scoring to close the first quarter.
Bulls and Lakers tied 30-30 after 1stQ. Jimmy Butler has 13 points, is 7-8 on FTs. Taj Gibson has 8 pts
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) November 21, 2016
Getting to the charity stripe is surely becoming Butler’s prerogative. He was able to get three of his opponents—DeAngelo Russell, Brandon Ingram and Nick Young—to rack up two personal fouls a piece to start the first quarter. Butler earned several trips to the free-throw line to satisfy this aim.
Jimmy Butler makes the basket and 1! pic.twitter.com/0hDWurxTx4
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) November 21, 2016
Luck didn’t always favor the Bulls in this contest, as it would become known.
Turnovers almost killed the Bulls during the first quarter. Fortunately for them, the Lakers couldn’t capitalize on every opportunity sent their way. The decision making of the young Los Angeles team proved to be their Achilles heel.
Still, the Lakers kept the game close from end to end.
Butler and Bulls set out to reclaim their lead. The only thing is Lou Williams ran into a half-court shot to tie up the game at 30 points to close out the first quarter.
As the second quarter got underway, the Bulls started reeling as the Lakers’ bench hit the court. Namely, Nikola Mirotic began to pose a liability to the Bulls at the defensive end.
A second unit led by the likes of Williams performed as expected, with the exception of Jordan Clarkson who couldn’t get a shot to fall through three quarters. The Lakers bench racked up 30 points with just over seven minutes remaining in the second quarter. Notably, Lou Williams scored 14 minutes to give his team a lead as big as 10 points.
Bulls tried their best to make up for mental lapses down the stretch. That allowed Chicago to open up a one-point lead to close the first half as the scoreboard read 62-61.
Mirotic’s performance in the first half moved head coach Fred Hoiberg to start Isaiah Canaan at the top of the third quarter.
Would that make a difference?
I think so.