One like and dislike from the Chicago Bulls win vs. the Memphis Grizzles

The Chicago Bulls defeated the Memphis Grizzles 119-110 Wednesday in the United Center. Here’s my one like and dislike from the game.

The Chicago Bulls defeated the Memphis Grizzles 119-110 Wednesday in the United Center.

Tank-o-meter

The Chicago Bulls’ record is 22-42 after the win. They have the eighth worst record in the league and are four games back of the worst record in the association.

Fun Fact #1

The Chicago Bulls have allowed 100 or more points in 18 consecutive games. It’s the Bulls longest streak of allowing their opponents to score 100 or more points in over 30 years.

Fun Fact #2

This was the first game when guards Kris Dunn, the player of the game, and Zach LaVine and forward Lauri Markkanen each tallied 20+ points.

Like: LaVine’s smarter offense

LaVine has developed a bad habit of hijacking the Chicago Bulls’ offense. Far too often he will attempt a contested, mid-range jump shot early in the shot clock. Possessions in which LaVine only looks to create a shot for himself with ball-dominant, isolation heavy offense resulting in a bad shot stalls any momentum the team is looking to create for itself.

But, LaVine did a solid job of picking his spots in the game against the Grizzles. He didn’t settle for bad looks or force himself to score the ball often. He allowed the offense to get into a groove and asserted himself when the opportunities presented themselves.

And even when those opportunities were there for LaVine, he didn’t waste them. He made a greater effort to get into the paint to score the ball instead of settle for contested mid-range shots. Although he’s struggled to finish at the rim this season, the mindset of getting to the basket helped him have one of his more efficient scoring games of the season.

However, LaVine wasn’t perfect. He did revert to his bad habits and showed off his poor shot selection at times.

He also opened up the contest with an errant 3-point attempt that he may, or may not, have been fouled on. It’s unlikely LaVine will stop making these kind of decisions. A part of what makes his skillset special is his ability to make tough shots. But, it was still nice to watch LaVine exhibit a level of self awareness on the court that isn’t apparent on a nightly basis.

Dislike: Turnovers

The Chicago Bulls played a solid and well-rounded game against the Grizzles. They shot the ball well from the field, crashed the glass, attacked the rim and eventually won the game. But, one area of the game they were absolutely horrendous in was taking care of the ball.

The Bulls turned the ball over 20 times and committed a turnover on 20.2 percent of their possessions (eight percentile). Dunn was the worst culprit of lazy ball-handling with six turnovers. Guard Cameron Payne and forwards Justin Holiday and Bobby Portis each committed three turnovers.

The worst part is the giveaways were a result of careless plays. The Chicago Bulls struggled to inbound the ball at times because they lost focus and just threw the rock onto the court. A basketball game between two tanking teams will rarely be pretty. But, the turnovers committed by the Bulls truly made it an uglier affair to witness.