One like and dislike from the Chicago Bulls loss vs. the Charlotte Hornets

The Chicago Bulls lost to the Charlotte Hornets 118-103 on Tuesday in the Spectrum Center. Here’s my one like and dislike from the game.

The Chicago Bulls extended their losing streak to five games with a 118-103 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday in the Spectrum Center.

Tank-o-meter

The Chicago Bulls’ record is 20-41 after the loss. They have the eighth worst record in the league and are 2.5 games back of the worst record in the association.

Fun Fact #1:

Guard Kris Dunn, forward Lauri Markkanen and guard Zach LaVine each scored more than 10 points in the loss against the Hornets. It was the first time each member of the trio scored in double digits since the Chicago Bulls’ Jan. 13 game vs. the Detroit Pistons, which marked LaVine’s return to the court.  The trio has only played seven games and 131 minutes together. The Chicago Bulls are outscored by 24.4 points per 100 possessions when Dunn, LaVine and Markkanen are on the floor together.

Fun Fact #2:

The Chicago Bulls have allowed their opponents to make at least 10 3-pointers in seven straight games. It’s their second longest streak of 10 or more opponent made 3-pointers in franchise history.

Dislike: Sloppiness and poor effort

The Chicago Bulls slept walked in the second half for the second consecutive game. After competing against Charlotte for the entire first half, and going into halftime tied with Hornets, the Bulls displayed a lackadaisical effort in the second half which ultimately cost them the game.

The Bulls coughed the ball up six times in the third quarter after just turning the ball over seven times in the entire first half. Their carelessness with the ball didn’t prevent them from scoring in the third quarter; they still scored up 27 points. But, it did give the Hornets more scoring chances and Charlotte took advantage of opportunities. The Hornets tallied 36 points on 66.7 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc in the third quarter.

The sloppiness didn’t end in the third quarter. The Chicago Bulls turned the ball over seven more times in the fourth quarter. Similar to the third quarter, those turnovers didn’t prevent the Bulls from scoring the ball. They still found a way to score 25 points in the closing quarter of the game. But, the turnovers did help the Hornets score 30+ points for the second consecutive quarter.

“We’re playing some pretty good stretches, we’re just not sustaining it right now,” said Head Coach Fred Hoiberg, according to a Feb. 27 ESPN article.

Similar to their game against the Nets on Monday, the Bulls 3-point defense was horrendous. The Chicago Bulls allowed the Hornets to knock down 15 of their 35 3-point attempts. 31 of those 35 attempts were classified as “open” or “wide open”. Slow closeouts, miscommunications and poor effort in the second half allowed the Hornets to get hot from deep, sustain it for the remainder of the game and ultimately win the contest.

Games with poor effort and execution in the second half is starting to replace poor starts to the game as a trend for the Chicago Bulls. While it may not be the most fun brand of basketball to watch, it certainly helps the Bulls’ tanking efforts.

Like: Big man play

Each of the big men in the Chicago Bulls’s current rotation caught my eye at some point during the game.

Center Cristiano Felicio, the player of the game, showed out with a season-high 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. He showed off his improved shooting range with two mid-range buckets to start the contest. The most memorable part of his game was when he took Hornets center Willy Hernangomez off the dribble for a turnaround-fadeaway banked 2-pointer.

But, Felicio’s passing was just captivating as his scoring. He displayed a patience and decisiveness I haven’t seen from him before and found his teammates for easy scoring opportunities.

Forward Noah Vonleh’s ability to take guys off the dribble was another example of what guys will display when the receive more playing opportunities.  His slow shooting motion is supposed to be a detriment to his game. But, he’s baiting defenders with it and blowing by them for easier field goal attempts.

Vonleh baited Hornets center Cody Zeller so well that Zeller’s basketball shoes turned into ice skates.

Markkanen is more athletic and coordinated than evaluators originally believed he was. He’s displayed his athleticism multiple times this season with rim-rattling dunks and did so again last night.

Forward Bobby Portis had another solid night and contributed 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. A major weakness of the Chicago Bulls’ big man rotation is none of them are rim-protectors.

The Bulls had five blocks in their loss against the Hornets. None of them were by Felicio, Vonleh, Markkanen or Portis. Hornets center Dwight Howard feasted on the lack of defensive interior presence those four men provide. But, that didn’t stop them from showing flashes of what could make them key players in the Chicago Bulls’ rebuild going forward.