One like and dislike from the Chicago Bulls loss vs. the Brooklyn Nets
By Khobi Price
The Chicago Bulls lost to the Brooklyn Nets 124-96 Saturday in the United Center. Here’s my one like and dislike from the game.
The Chicago Bulls lost to the Brooklyn Nets 124-96 Saturday in the United Center. The Nets have a 2-0 season series advantage. The two teams will face off for the final time of the 2017-18 season Monday.
Tank-o-meter
The Chicago Bulls have a 27-53 record after their loss. They have the seventh worst record in the league and are seven games back of the worst record of the league. The Bulls are 2.5 games back of the fifth worst record in the league.
Fun Fact #1
The Chicago Bulls allowed the Nets to make a franchise-high 24 3-pointers. The Nets were one made 3-pointer shy of tying the NBA’s record for most made 3-pointers in a game.
Fun Fact #2
There have been nine games in NBA history in which a team has attempted 54 or more 3-pointers. Three of those nine contests have come against the Chicago Bulls this season.
The Nets attempted 55 threes, the seventh-most in a game in NBA history.
— Jeff Mangurten (@JeffGurt) April 8, 2018
Of the nine games in which a team has taken 54 or more threes, three of them came against the Bulls this season.
Dislike: Nothing
I spent a significant amount of time contemplating whether I was going to have my dislike be “the entire game” or “nothing”. There’s a lot to dislike about a game when a team scores less than 100 points, shoots less than 41 percent from the field and tallies nearly as many assists (16) as turnovers (13).
However, it isn’t as if the Chicago Bulls offense was their only issue. They almost allowed the Nets to tie the NBA’s record for most made 3-pointers in a game. Brooklyn recorded its sixth highest point total of the season against Chicago. The Nets were firing from all cylinders and the depleted Bulls didn’t come close to matching their production.
But, at this point of the season and with eight Bulls players not playing, these are the kind of results that are expected and wanted. The process of getting blown out by one of the worst teams in the league isn’t pretty. However, I’m just not sure what else fans would want or expect from the Chicago Bulls at this point. They’re missing five of their best players and played the second night of a back-to-back in April during a tanking season. The game itself was difficult to digest. But, I can’t say I was too surprised by the outcome.
Like: Moving a spot in the tank race
The beauty in an ugly loss like this is the Chicago Bulls moved from the eighth spot in the tank race to the seventh. Chicago has another game vs. the Nets on Monday and that could further push the Bulls down the standings depending on the result of the Sacramento Kings game against the San Antonio Spurs Monday.
The Chicago Bulls have messed up multiple times during their rebuilding season. Hopefully they can refrain from hurting themselves in these last two games.