The Chicago Bulls couldn’t muster a comeback in the final seconds of their home opener versus the Detroit Pistons. They fell to the Pistons 118-116.
The Chicago Bulls officially opened up their season at home against the Detroit Pistons. The starting lineup that Coach Hoiberg trotted out was the same as the first game with Cameron Payne handling point guard duties, Zach LaVine at shooting guard, Justin Holiday at the three, and Bobby Portis and Wendell Carter Jr. rounding out the frontcourt. With Kris Dunn back at home taking care of his new baby boy and Denzel Valentine nursing a left ankle injury, the Chicago Bulls were once again short-handed.
The Bulls started out fast as Zach LaVine and Wendell Carter Jr. both knocked down four quick points off of two Cam Payne assists. Payne was pushing the ball up with pace – something that Hoiberg wants out of his offense. Ryan Arcidiacono subbed in for him after Detroit went on an 11-0 run. He dished out 7 assists in 16 minutes of playing time.
Wendell Carter Jr. once again got into early foul trouble in the first half and had to come out of the game early. The rookie will need to learn when to assert himself in the game on the defensive end throughout the season.
The Detroit Pistons caught fire in the first half from deep as they connected on 9 of their 19 3-point attempts, outscoring the Bulls 27-6 from 3. At halftime, the Bulls trailed 60 to 58 with their leading scorer being Zach LaVine at 19 points. He could’ve easily scored more if he didn’t pick up his 3rd foul late in the 2nd quarter.
Second Half
The Bulls opened up the third quarter with a scoring outburst from none other than Cam Payne. Payne – who says he has paid attention to the criticism of his play – hoped to silence his doubters tonight when he scored 8 straight points to open up the third quarter. He finished the game with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. Bobby Portis – who was held scoreless until the 4th quarter – filled up the stat sheet as he pulled down 14 rebounds and dished out 5 assists. Zach LaVine became the 3rd Chicago Bulls player ever to score back-to-back 30-point games to open up a season with the others being Bob Love and Michael Jordan.
The end of the game came down to a last-second possession. Down two points with 5.4 seconds left to play, Zach LaVine went for the win as he rose for the three-point attempt. As he went up for the contested shot, he lost control of the ball and the Pistons escaped with a win.
After the game, Zach talked about that three-point attempt to win the game. The Bulls play their next game on Monday at Dallas.