Chicago Bulls: Player grades from the gut-wrenching loss
By Luke Askew
The Chicago Bulls added another disappointing loss to their 2019-20 resume tonight. Here are player grades from the gut-wrenching defeat.
Another day, another disheartening loss for the Chicago Bulls. Tonight, they started out hot. Wendell Carter Jr. was dominant. Zach LaVine was efficient. Otto Porter Jr. looked like the guy Bulls fans saw last year. It finally looked like the team was putting it all together.
The Bulls were even decent in the third quarter. They got outscored 32-28 but still entered the fourth quarter with a 13-point advantage. The fourth quarter is where it all fell apart.
The Lakers got huge minutes from Quinn Cook, Alex Caruso and Dwight Howard in the fourth quarter to help fuel their comeback. Then, when LeBron James re-entered the game, all he had to do was facilitate and keep the Lakers’ momentum going. Spoiler alert: He did exactly that.
Here are player grades from the Bulls’ brutal loss to the Lakers.
Chicago Bulls. WENDELL CARTER JR.. B-. Wendell Carter Jr. had a dominant first half and a quiet second half. He finished the game with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field to go along with 11 rebounds and one block. He was a solid rim protector, consistently altering close-range shots, and he was available on the offensive end when necessary. If he develops a stronger mid-range game, he’ll be very successful in this league.. Center
D-. <a href=. Forward. Chicago Bulls. LAURI MARKKANEN
OTTO PORTER JR.. B. Otto Porter Jr. came to life tonight against the Lakers. He scored 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point land. He did a nice job of knocking down shots, but I would’ve loved to see him be more aggressive as a playmaker. He didn’t record a single assist tonight.. Wing. Chicago Bulls
Quietly, Zach LaVine was actually really solid tonight. His performance will be forgotten since the Bulls squandered a big lead, but that’s just how it goes. He finished the game with 26 points on an efficient 9-of-18 shooting from the field to go along with seven assists and seven rebounds. His decision making could’ve been better down the stretch, but all in all, it was a good individual night for LaVine.. Guard. Chicago Bulls. ZACH LAVINE. A-
<a href=. Guard. Chicago Bulls. COBY WHITE. B+
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Next up for the Bulls is a road game against the buzzing Hawks. Will Chicago be able to turn things around?