Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics Takeaways: How Bout Dat?
3-pointers: Still a problem
I’m not even sure where to go with this one. It’s an obvious and well-known fact about Chicago. They are terrible at making 3-pointers and they take generally fewer of them than the rest of the NBA.
The Bulls average 20.4 3-point shots per game. That is almost two full attempts worse than the next worst team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. Yes, Chicago is in dead last in attempts.
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They also make the fewest 3s in the entire league at 6.4 per game. That’s more than one full make per game less than the next worst team, the Detroit Pistons.
In Thursdays win, the Bulls dominated the boards and had a huge advantage on the offensive boards. Still, it took last second free throws from Butler to secure the victory. It took their best effort to avoid defeat and they almost lost it anyway. The great perimeter shooting from Boston helped them stave off Chicago until the last gasp. The Celtics shot 14-of-37 from 3-point range and the Bulls were just 6-for-25.
Technically, Chicago won tonight while making their league-worst shooting from beyond the arc even worse. Remarkable. Their best 3-point shooter against Boston? That would be Jimmy, 2-for-5. He was the only Bull to shoot more than 28.6 percent from deep. Doug McDermott? 1-for-6. Jerian Grant? 2-for-7. Bobby Portis? 1-for-4. Everyone else on the team combined to make zero.