The Chicago Bulls suffered their worst loss in three years, and the 40-point margin of defeat was the 14th largest in the organization's 59-year history. Nothing went right for the Bulls as they squared off against the division-rival Detroit Pistons for the third time this season and the 284th time in franchise history.
The Pistons never trailed, leading by as many as 49 points in the 132-92 victory. The contest was seemingly over from the opening tip. It took the Bulls more than two and a half minutes to convert a field goal—a Matas Buzelis slam. Chicago mustered only 18 points in the first quarter, while Detroit scored 34. The Bulls shot 8-of-25 and went 0-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Following a subpar first quarter, the second somehow went even worse. The Bulls were held scoreless during a six-minute stretch in the second stanza. Amid the scoreless duration, Detroit scored 23 points to build an inconceivable 45-point lead in the first half. Chicago shot 4-of-27 and 1-of-15 from long range in their single worst 12-minute span of the season.
Crowd erupts as Vooch scores the Bulls 3rd basket of the quarter with 2:02 left in the 2nd
— Will Gottlieb (@Will_Gottlieb) February 12, 2025
Ayo follows it up with the first made 3 after starting 0/20 from deep
Bulls down 69-27
The latter half of the game went much better for the Bulls. Although Chicago was again outscored in the third quarter, 34-30, they shot 54.2 percent from the floor, and prized rookie Buzelis scored 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting. The Bulls' field goal percentage decreased to 41.7 percent in the fourth, but they finally outscored the Pistons 33-27.
Chicago shot 35.0 percent for the game and 21.3 percent from three. Only one of 14 Bulls to hit the hardwood shot above 50 percent from the field Once again, it was—Buzelis, who scored a team-high 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
The rebuild is definitely underway following largest loss in three years
While a 40-point loss is dreadful, especially against a so-so squad, this defeat is telling. After a trade deadline that only saw Zach LaVine jettisoned, the Bulls' Front Office was heavily criticized for holding off on the inevitable—a long-awaited rebuild. However, despite retaining veterans Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball, Chicago is drastically worse without its leading scorer.
The Bulls have lost three straight contests by an average of 26.7 points. Unlike the contest versus the Pistons, Chicago led against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors. The Bulls even led by as many as 24 against Golden State before losing 132-111. Drastically losing after building leads is perhaps a more significant indicator of a rebuild than an egregious loss.
However, even though there is an argument that Chicago's losses against Minnesota and Golden State are far more damning, a 40-point loss to a team hovering around .500 is evidently disheartening, albeit beneficial for the future of the squad. Sure, the Warriors are one game above .500, but they're an entirely different beast with Jimmy Butler recently added to the mix.
The best thing to come out of this disastrous loss is that it's now understood and accepted that the Bulls are much worse without LaVine and capable of tanking—even with Vooch still on the roster. Furthermore, it's encouraging to see Billy Donovan continue starting 20-year-old Buzelis and featuring the rookie in Chicago's offense.