Jimmy Butler’s big game wasn’t enough for the Chicago Bulls to beat the Brooklyn Nets as Chicago attempts to extend its schedule into the postseason. Here’s three takeaways from another bad loss in New York.
The Chicago Bulls matched up with the Brooklyn Nets for a late afternoon battle in Brooklyn on Saturday. Dwyane Wade returned from injury after missing the last 11 games. He was inserted back into the starting lineup, sending rookie Paul Zipser back to the bench.
After being down by as much as 15 points at one point, Jimmy Butler was able to stop the bleeding and helped close the gap to just six before halftime. Butler had 13 of his 33 points in the half.
The Bulls came out looking as if they’d spent the night before in Times Square. They failed to contain the Nets offense and didn’t bother to challenge their defense. The repercussions of Wade’s return were apparent in the game. The rotation on the wings was jumbled and Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg didn’t seem to know how to handle the return of a big-time player after some younger guys had gotten comfortable in their roles.
On top of that, there are other rotational aspects that Hoiberg has yet to figure out despite potentially starting a playoff series in a week.
Jimmy Butler was the man for the Bulls tonight, as he usually is. Butler scored 33 points in the game, but couldn’t quite drag the Bulls to a win as they crumbled in the final minutes.
Here’s three takeaways from the Bulls pushing their playoff hopes closer to the edge, starting with the rotation for the Bulls