The Chicago Bulls dropped a second straight recreation Sunday night time with a 126-103 blowout by the hands of the Denver Nuggets. They are actually 6-8 on the season and fell to eleventh within the Eastern Conference.
Here are 5 takeaways from the loss.
1. The Bulls had been rusty after three days off.
After 4 back-to-backs within the opening three weeks, the Bulls had been grateful to catch their breath with a three-day break from video games. But they confirmed indicators of rust early Sunday, digging themselves into yet one more fast deficit by getting outscored 32-20 within the first quarter.
The Bulls turned the ball over six instances within the first quarter, offering free ammunition to the hot-handed Nuggets, who shot 60% from the sector. The beginning unit fell flat within the face of the early Denver tempo, forcing the Bulls reserves to as soon as once more try a comeback.
“I believe energy is a choice,” coach Billy Donovan stated. “You can’t play off of feelings because feelings come and go. You’ve got to eliminate feelings and choose to do things. We have a choice with what kind of energy to play with, and circumstances cannot impact or affect our energy. We’ve got to choose energy because that’s all it is. It’s a choice.”
2. Nikola Jokić picked aside the Bulls protection with dazzling passes, however Michael Porter Jr. led the Nuggets in scoring.
The two-time NBA MVP didn’t want to attain a lot to regulate the sport for the Nuggets. Jokić commanded the courtroom together with his passing, logging 14 assists in slightly below 28 minutes earlier than sitting a lot of the fourth quarter. He tallied 12 assists in solely 18 minutes within the first half and was 4 of 4 from the sector for eight factors.
With Jokić taking a facilitating function, Porter led the Nuggets with 31 factors, ending 6 of 9 on 3-pointers. He scored 16 factors within the third quarter to cement the win.
3. The Bulls’ lack of 3-point taking pictures created a mismatch behind the arc.
The 3-point line has been a weak level for the Bulls on each side of the courtroom — and that development continued.
The Nuggets shot 13-for-27 (48%) from behind the arc, whereas the Bulls had been 6 of twenty-two (27%). The disparity was highlighted within the first half, when the Bulls made solely two 3-pointers on 17% taking pictures.
The Bulls can’t hold tempo with opponents in the event that they proceed to battle to defend the 3-point line and make pictures from behind it.
The Nuggets are an extremely environment friendly 3-point taking pictures crew — first within the league in accuracy (42.3%) and ninth in 3-pointers per recreation (13.2) — however that doesn’t excuse the Bulls’ continued sample of giving up long-distance pictures. They’re permitting the fourth-highest 3-point accuracy within the league (36.9%).
4. The Bulls second unit continues to make comeback efforts.
The beginning 5 merely didn’t do sufficient within the loss. Individually, it was a lackluster night time for all 5 starters. Zach LaVine (21 factors) and DeMar DeRozan (16 factors) completed with respectable stat strains however couldn’t produce the kind of heroics essential to steadiness scoring. Ayo Dosunmu missed 4 3-pointers and completed 3-for-9 from the sector, whereas Nikola Vučević struggled defensively towards Jokić and others.
Once once more, the Bulls discovered themselves trying to the bench to forge a comeback — and the group put up a pair of respectable efforts, reducing the result in six factors within the second quarter and to 11 factors from 18 with a 7-0 run within the third.
Andre Drummond completed with 13 factors and 11 rebounds off the bench, and Goran Dragić added 11 factors.
5. Patrick Williams flexed his physicality however pale within the second half.
Williams continues to indicate flashes of enchancment because the third-year energy ahead grows into his function as a key starter. The first half showcased the influence Williams could make as he scored eight factors on 3-for-4 taking pictures with 4 rebounds, a block and a steal.
In the primary quarter, Williams snatched an offensive rebound over Porter after which dropped his shoulder into the bigger participant, muscling by his opponent for a put-back. The play confirmed what can occur when Williams assaults the rim with physicality.
But that aggression wore off within the third quarter as Williams went scoreless earlier than including seven factors in rubbish time to complete with 15 with out including one other rebound.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com