The Chicago Bulls wrap up their fourth game in five nights with a tough loss to the Detroit Pistons at the Palace on Tuesday night.
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First Quarter
Slow start for the Bulls as the Pistons score eight straight points before getting the first bucket of the night from Rajon Rondo. Dwyane Wade then took over the offense, scoring a basket of his own then an assist to Robin Lopez.
Detroit went on a short run of successful possessions to force a timeout from Fred Hoiberg.
The quarter ends with the Pistons scoring nine points in the last 90 seconds. The Bulls started the game out early failing to protect the perimeter as the bad guys scored on four of their six 3-point attempts.
Rondo led all Chicago scorers with eight first quarter points.
End of 1st: Pistons lead 32-21
Second Quarter
Hoiberg was forced to take an early timeout as the Pistons score four quick points in the first minute of the second quarter.
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The offense was stagnant for the most part the first half of the quarter. The Bulls were complaining about not getting foul calls rather than getting back on defense.
It was a clear indication that the frustration level of the players affected their play.
An embarrassing second quarter turned into a better one towards the end.
Chicago, down as much as 17 in the quarter, did quietly crawl their way back into the game . They trimmed the lead down to nine on a 10-2 run in the last four minutes of the quarter.
Jimmy Butler came to life for 16 points accompanied by six free throws. The Bulls struggled to find a rhythm from behind the arc, shooting a lowly 1-for-7.
The Pistons already accumulated 18 team assists, moving quickly approaching their team average of 20.9 assists per game.
Halftime: Pistons lead 51-44
Third Quarter
Two straight Taj Gibson buckets pulled the Bulls back within one before the Pistons finally scored in the quarter. Six points from him halfway through the quarter forced a Detroit timeout. Chicago’s offense seemed to get back flowing again.
The Bulls took their first lead of the game at 62-61, courtesy of a right-handed running hook shot from Rondo.
Butler kept the Bulls offense intact, with a score total of 24 points through the third quarter.
End of 3rd: Bulls lead 72-71
Fourth Quarter
The Pistons went on a quick run to shoot the lead back up to eight.
The Bulls broke down as the Pistons lead was as high as 10 points after multiple empty possessions.
Not really much to say about the quarter other than missed shots hurt the team. A couple of 3-point makes could have made a big difference as well.
Final Score: Pistons win 102-91 as the Bulls drop to 11-10 on the year
Say What?
The Bulls shot 13.3 percent from behind the arc, 2-for-15 on the game.
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Butler finished with 32 points on 11-for-21 shooting, while Wade struggled to score 19 on a 5-for-13 night.
Next Game
Chicago returns to the United Center Thursday to face the San Antonio Spurs (17-4) to attempt a bounce back after a day of rest.