The Chicago Bulls finally have a good loss! Despite the loss to the Brooklyn Nets, the core of the Bulls played well and show some great flashes.
Reeling from the embarrassing loss on Sunday, the Chicago Bulls needed to come out with a sense of urgency against the red-hot Brooklyn Nets.
Turnovers were the key to this game. The starting backcourt of Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn combined for nine turnovers and just four assists (all of which came from LaVine). It’s becoming abundantly clear that Dunn isn’t the point guard of the future. Friday night, we saw Trae Young eviscerate the Bulls by just controlling the game and being an excellent passer.
For all of the turnovers, it was a competitive game which is something to be proud of for this Bulls team. Let’s get into the game.
First Quarter:
Both teams started cold from the field. By the 5:36 mark of the 1st quarter, the score was 11-8. Though he was struggling from the field, Lauri Markkanen was making his presence felt. He had a huge sequence where he chased down Kurucs and knocked down a 3 on the other end, and he was an animal on the boards.
Boylen also let Lauri grab-n-go a few times, and he had a nice pullup out of a PnR with Robin Lopez. Lauri’s offensive value is going to be higher with the ball in his hands as opposed to being in the post.
Even with the shots not falling, it was refreshing to see the Bulls play with some pace. Despite playing relatively well throughout the 1st quarter, the Bulls had three turnovers in the final 2:06 which led to Brooklyn taking a 20-19 lead.
2nd Quarter:
The momentum from the 1st period carried over to the 2nd quarter as Brooklyn opened the 2nd on a 6-0 run. Jabari Parker did an excellent job of being a settling presence for the Bulls offensively. He was hitting shots and hitting the boards well.
Parker, however, was a little overzealous as he had picked up three personal fouls and would have to be subbed out. Shaquille Harrison also had a good 2nd period. He, surprisingly, knocked down two 3-pointers and played with his usual energy on defense.
The defense was an issue like usual. Pick-and-roll defense was horrid. D’Angelo Russell was controlling the game with his reads out of the PnR (similarly to Trae Young on Friday).
Despite solid play from others, LaVine owned the 2nd quarter down the stretch. LaVine scored 13 of the last 14 points for the Bulls in the 2nd quarter. LaVine was putting on a shot-making display as he scored from every level of the floor.
3rd Quarter:
The 3rd period was when Russell started to get going for the Nets. The Bulls were able to keep pace thanks to Dunn/Lopez/Selden. Wayne Selden had a nice pull-up and threw down a nice pass to Lauri who came and slammed home a massive dunk.
Parker was huge off the bench. He had arguably his best defensive night of the season and he was playing within the flow of the offense. He and LaVine were able to keep the Bulls in it despite Russell having 11 points in the quarter.
4th Quarter:
The Bulls have made this competitive against a solid team. Considering the last couple of weeks, this was an excellent refresher.
Jabari was vital in the opening minutes of the 4th. Parker had a huge block on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and then he hit Harrison in stride for a layup. Bobby Portis also had a nice game offensively. He was getting tip-ins and finishing the passes he received from his teammates.
Boylen elected to go with Jabari down the stretch which was the right call. Parker had perhaps the play of the night with a twisting dunk. Markkanen knocked down a key 3-pointer to pull the Bulls within three at the 2:54 mark. That would be as close as the Bulls could get.
Final:
When they needed vital stops, the Bulls couldn’t get one. The little production from the bench was also the difference in the game (BKN had 59 bench points). But, this was a ‘good loss.’ Parker played very well (possibly his best game as a Bull), and LaVine and Markkanen had impactful games respectively.
Markkanen finished with a career-high 19 rebounds. His ability to make an impact when he isn’t efficiently scoring is fantastic for a young player.
With another loss on the record, the Bulls record stands at 11-40. They’ll have to put this loss behind them quickly as they get ready to play a solid Miami Heat team.