Chicago Bulls get out-hooped by Brooklyn Nets

The Chicago Bulls let another winnable game get away Saturday night against the Brooklyn Nets, moving them to 4-9 on the season.

The Chicago Bulls seemingly had an advantage heading into the matchup as Brooklyn Nets stars Kyrie Irving, Caris LeVert and Kevin Durant were out of the lineup due to injury. Not to forget to mention the Bulls were playing in front of their home crowd at the United Center.

At the same time, the Bulls had their own set of problems with small forward Otto Porter Jr. and big man Cristiano Felicio sidelined.

What went wrong?

Let’s take a close look at what happened from start to end of the Bulls-Nets game.

The Bulls’ starting lineup again featured small forward Chandler Hutchison. In case you missed it, here is another look at the starters:

https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1195840497320939520

As the first quarter got underway, the Bulls got off to a slow start.

Why, you ask?

Little to no energy. Period.

The Nets fared well thanks, in part, to point guard Spencer Dinwiddie and his ability to get the team into their offensive sets.

The Bulls, unlike the Nets, did not take care of the ball early on. The team’s shooting woes didn’t help either.

And, of course, I’m not the only person to make that observation.

Check it out:

The Bulls were seen applying full-court pressure to the Nets with guards Kris Dunn and Coby White inserted into the lineup.

The Nets led the Bulls by 30-19 to end the first quarter.

The bench squad comprised of Dunn, White, Thaddeus Young and Ryan Arcidiacono helped put the Bulls in a position to keep the game close. Collectively, they brought a degree of energy, effort and toughness, which proved to be helpful.

Unfortunately, Dunn racked up 3 personal fouls and is sent to the bench, which could have created a bit of a problem for the Bulls. However, things didn’t get completely out of hand.

It seems the energy Dunn brought to the game provided a spark that became a bit contagious for his teammates. In the minutes that followed shortly thereafter, the Bulls forced several turnovers, including one by White.

Take a look:

The Bulls tied up the game at 33-33 just north of the 7-minute mark.

Things stayed the course for the most part until the buzzer sounded for halftime. The first half ended with the Bulls up 56-50 over the Nets.

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Things would not stay the course, however.

It seems the Bulls could get stops at the defensive end at times, but they weren’t able to get into their offense to prevent the team from trading shots back and forth with the Nets.

In some ways, the Bulls’ defense offers a beacon of hope for the team going forward.

Take a look:

However, the Bulls’ offense continues to demonstrate issues.

The Bulls could have held a larger lead over the Nets if the team had capitalized on the fact that Dinwiddie racked up 4 personal fouls at one point during the third quarter. The Nets struggled to get into their offense in his absence. The problem is the Bulls allowed the Nets to remain in the game with an opportunity to win.

With a little more than 1 minute left in the third quarter, the Nets tied up the game at 73-73.

Why, you ask?

The Bulls allowed several successful possessions by the Nets to go unanswered. By the end of the third quarter, the Bulls led 78-74.

The Nets managed to gain the lead again for a brief moment early in the fourth quarter only for Hutchison to give the Bulls the lead by completing his free-throws when sent to the line. A few more lead changes would follow shortly thereafter.

The problem is the Bulls’ offense struggled to click during the game. It didn’t help that the Nets were able to keep the game close, even as it seemed the Bulls should have won the game.

The Bulls did a lot of things right. They got to the free-throw line; they got after rebounds.

Take a look:

One thing to note is the three-guard lineups the Bulls have a tendency to use. It is unclear if it works to the team’s advantage.

The problem is Hutchison still appears to have a minutes restriction preventing him from taking to the floor late in the fourth quarter, which ultimately hurt the Bulls. The team turned to Arcidiacono to fill in at small forward.

To make matters worse, big man Wendell Carter Jr. committed a costly fourth personal foul to put the Bulls in the penalty with just north of 2 minutes remaining in regulation, which ultimately came to haunt the team as the game clock chipped further away. A short time later, Carter went on to commit his fifth personal foul.

On a positive note, guard Zach LaVine proved to make good decisions with the ball as the Bulls’ odds of winning down the stretch all but faded.

Bulls head coach Jim Boylen eventually called the team’s final timeout in hopes of forcing the game into overtime or taking the lead.

LaVine took to beyond the arc with a bit of hesitation only to drill a three-pointer to pull the Bulls within 3 points of the Nets. It made for a nail-biting finale to the game.

Check it out:

With time running out, Dinwiddie got a chance at a pair of free-throws when sent to the line. Much to the Bulls’ dismay, he completed both shots to add to the Nets’ lead.

In a bit of a surprising development, big man Lauri Markkanen hit a tough shot from deep to pull the game within 3 points again, but it wouldn’t prove to be enough for the Bulls in the end. The Nets defeated the Bulls 117-111.

Next up, the Bulls will take on the Milwaukee Bucks for the second of four meetings of the regular season. The game starts Monday at 7 p.m. CST.