Third quarter
Coming out of halftime, things didn’t appear to go according to plan—at least for the Bulls. They allowed the Wizards to build upon their lead as the second half got underway. It doesn’t help the way the Bulls forced 6 turnovers through the 4:29 mark of the third quarter, either.
It remains unclear what happened to the Bulls between the end of the second quarter and the start of the second half. The question marks surrounding the coaching staff’s decision to play Felicio over an active Daniel Gafford remains unexplained.
As the game progressed, the Wizards found themselves up by 20 points just north of the 3-minute mark.
It’s important to note that LaVine had a quiet third quarter. This is not a knock against him. The problem is the Bulls tend to do better when LaVine is aggressive when he takes to the floor.
As some of the reserves were inserted into the lineup, it became noticeable the way the Bulls increased their defensive intensity to force a few consecutive stops. Key contributors at the time were guards Shaquille Harrison, Ryan Arcidiacono and White.
Still, the Bulls trailed the Wizards 100-82 at the end of the third quarter.