The Chicago Bulls lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 113-103 on Saturday in the Staples Center. It’s time to check out the one thing I liked and disliked from the game.
The Chicago Bulls extended their losing streak to six games with their 113-103 loss to the Loss Angeles Clippers on Saturday in the Staples Center.
The win by the Clippers marks their fourth straight victory over the Bulls. The Bulls’ last win against the Clippers was on Dec. 10, 2015. The two teams will matchup again on Mar. 13 in the United Center.
Fun Fact #1: The Chicago Bulls made all 21 of their free-throw attempts. This is the sixth time in franchise history the Bulls went perfect from the charity stripe (minimum 20 free-throw attempts).
Fun Fact #2: Guard Zach LaVine, the player of the game, scored 21 points in the game. He’s scored 20 points in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
The last time he scored 20 points in back-to-back games was last season as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He scored 23 points in a Jan. 26, 2017 game vs. the Indiana Pacers and recorded 20 points in a Jan. 28, 2017 contest against the Brooklyn Nets.
Dislike: Interior Presence
The Los Angeles franchise demolished the Bulls in the paint.
The Clippers outscored Chicago 46-26 on shots within four feet of the basket. The Bulls allowed the Clippers to take 41 percent of their shots at the rim (82nd percentile). The Clippers converted their field goal attempts at the rim at a 71.9 percent clip (78th percentile).
The Windy City franchise’s poor transition defense contributed to their poor point prevention in the paint and negated their solid half-court defense.
The Bulls allowed the Clippers to get out in transition on 20.2 percent of their possessions (87th percentile), score 1.4 points per transition play (71st percentile) and add 7.7 points per 100 possessions (86th percentile) through transition plays.
The Bulls lack of effort in getting back on defense had a huge detriment to the team. But, flaws that relates to the roster construction were exposed in the matchup against the Clippers.
The Chicago Bulls didn’t have an answer for forwards Tobias Harris or Danillo Gallinari. Both of them tallied 24 points and shot over 50 percent from the field. Backup center Montrezl Harrell scored all 14 of his points near the basket.
The Bulls don’t have a quality rim-protector. They lack strong and versatile wings who can slow down bigger forwards.
Guards David Nwaba, Denzel Valentine and Justin Holiday are too small to consistently guard bigger forwards like Harris and Gallinari over the course of a full game. Forwards Bobby Portis, Paul Zipser and center Cristano Felicio aren’t quick enough on the perimeter to make slow down
Both of these areas can be addressed since the Bulls should enter the 2018 Draft with two top-20 picks and have an excess of cap space going into the 2018 offseason. The front office would be wise to invest in young wings who can deter bigger and stronger players from driving into the paint and a big man who can swat shots away from the basket at ease.
Like: Zipser keeping it simple
Zipser scored a season-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. I haven’t seen him look more confident than he did last night since he joined the Bulls last season.
That’s because most of his points came off catch-and-shoot opportunities or taking one dribble into his shot. Being set up the way he was against the Clippers is the best way to use on offense because he isn’t a dynamic ball-hander or scorer.
Paul Zipser has had back-to-back games with 3 threes made.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 3, 2018
Three and counting already today: pic.twitter.com/CKKUx0BW36
Plus, he had this block.
https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/959921464295206912
He receives a lot of slack from Bulls fans. He deserves it for the most part because his play is underwhelming and has rarely warranted consistent rotational minutes.
But, after watching him for the past couple year it’s because clear to me he simply becomes overwhelmed when he must do more than a simple move on the offensive end. He’s turned the ball over on 34.8 percent of his pick-and-roll possessions during the 2017-18 season. This is the second worst mark of any Bulls guard or forward.
He looks like a dear in headlights when asked to do more than catch-and-shoot, dribble once into his shot or make a simple pass.
Maximizing the impact of your strengths while minimizing the consequences of your weaknesses is an important factor on the court. Nwaba earned consistent rotational minutes because he learned how to mask his weaknesses with his strengths.
It’s unlikely he’ll fall out of the rotation once forward Lauri Markkanen returns since the front office wants to see what he brings to the team (they want to tank!). He needs to focus on doing the simple tasks if he wants to keep that rotational spot.