Pippen Ain't Easy
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Chicago Bulls: Late effort not enough against Miami

By Luke Askew

CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 23: Robin Lopez #42 of the Chicago Bulls goes to the basket against the Miami Heat on November 23, 2018 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Randy Belice/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 23: Robin Lopez #42 of the Chicago Bulls goes to the basket against the Miami Heat on November 23, 2018 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Randy Belice/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Chicago Bulls were at home on Black Friday to take on the Miami Heat in hopes of getting back-to-back wins. Here’s what happened.

Coming into the game on Black Friday, the Chicago Bulls were yet to win back-to-back games in the 2018-19 season. Unfortunately, Bulls fans can’t be thankful for consecutive wins just yet. The Heat would win this one with a final score of 103-96.

The Bulls came out strong in the first quarter, moving the ball, getting good shots and defending at a high level. They got outscored 28-26 in the first, but it was still a solid quarter. Both teams played well.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but in the second quarter, everything fell apart for the Bulls. They got outscored 32-13 in those 12 minutes. The Bulls went away from everything that was working for them in the first quarter. Their offense was stagnant and their defense was non-existent.

It looked for a moment like Chicago was ready to roll over and give Miami the win, but that wasn’t the case. Whatever Fred Hoiberg said at halftime worked because the Bulls looked really good in the second half.

The Bulls would wind up cutting the Heat lead down to 4 points, but they couldn’t quite get over the hump. A couple daggers from Josh Richardson would end up being the nail in the coffin for the Bulls.

As far as individual performances go, it was an interesting night. There were three Bulls that scored over 20 points but the rest didn’t even hit double digits.

After a rough first half, Jabari Parker ended the game on a solid note, finishing with 23 points and 10 rebounds on 8-of-18 shooting from the field.

Zach LaVine had another strong overall game but struggled from the field. LaVine scored 24 points on 11-of-27 shooting from the field to go along with 9 assists and 4 rebounds. He also had another monster dunk.

Perhaps the best Bull tonight, though, was Justin Holiday. He led the Bulls in scoring with an efficient 27 points and he also added an impressive 13 rebounds and 3 steals.

The Bulls showed a lot of heart against the Heat. Getting locked in when you’re down 26 points is never easy, but that’s what they did. They got focused and they upped the intensity. It would just be really nice if they could’ve figured out how to do that before being down 26 points.

If the Bulls can replicate their second-half intensity for a whole game, it would likely result in a win.

Next. 3 things Bulls fans should be thankful for. dark

Next up for the Bulls is a road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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