The Chicago Bulls prolonged their dropping streak to a few video games with a 110-101 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
The Bulls are 9-14 after going 2-4 on a 12-day highway journey and stay twelfth within the Eastern Conference.
Here are seven takeaways from the loss.
1. The Bulls practically tied the sport within the fourth quarter, however as soon as once more it was too little, too late.
The Bulls have established a blueprint of their losses this season: dig an early deficit, then spend the remainder of the sport attempting to climb out of it.
That similar script performed out in Sacramento. The Bulls had a 31-20 edge within the third quarter — led by 15 factors from Zach LaVine and 10 from DeMar DeRozan — and pulled inside one level with 9:31 remaining.
But it didn’t matter. After falling behind by 11 within the first half, the Bulls as soon as once more weren’t capable of escape the first-half gap they dug for themselves.
“We have to figure it out one way or another or we’re just going to keep being down,” LaVine mentioned. “That’s the name of the game. We play good when we’re behind but then we don’t get over the hump.”
2. The Bulls obtained blitzed from 3-point vary as long-range taking pictures continues to pose an issue.
Sunday’s loss supplied one other piece of proof of the Bulls’ incapacity to compete from 3-point vary because the Kings outscored them 39-27 behind the arc.
The Kings are a heavy 3-point taking pictures staff — they take the seventh-most within the league (37.1 per recreation) and make the sixth-most (13.6) whereas taking pictures 36.5%. They truly had an off taking pictures night time in opposition to the Bulls, lacking eight 3s in a row within the first quarter and ending 13 of 43 (30.2%) behind the arc.
The Bulls took eight 3s within the first quarter, a tactic that helped the offense unfold the ground and create a extra fluid assault. But they took solely 11 pictures behind the arc within the second half because the offense stalled out and completed with 9 3s in 25 makes an attempt.
3. A sloppy second quarter full of turnovers fed the Kings offense.
The Bulls opened the quarter with three consecutive turnovers earlier than a annoyed coach Billy Donovan lastly known as a timeout. The poor ball safety continued all through the quarter because the Bulls turned the ball over 11 instances. The Kings took benefit, scoring seven of their factors within the quarter off turnovers.
That pushed any try at a Bulls comeback into the second half, delaying the offense’s eventual unthawing.
“It really hurt us,” Donovan mentioned. “We just had too many possessions in a row. Certainly they are a really good transition team, but that only enhanced their transition points in the first half. That was a big part of us digging the hole in that first half.”
4. Zach LaVine’s season-high night time saved the Bulls inside placing distance, however he did it on his personal.
LaVine scored a season-high 41 factors, taking pictures 16-for-28 from the sector and 3-for-9 behind the arc in certainly one of his most effective performances of the season.
Yet the sport required LaVine to play hero ball, a well-known position for the Bulls guard that’s the antithesis of this season’s offensive scheme. The Bulls recorded solely 17 assists, reflecting a scarcity of cohesion and motion.
LaVine earned a technical within the fourth quarter as a win slipped out of attain, and he left the court docket with seen frustration after the ultimate buzzer.
5. DeMar DeRozan’s shaky taking pictures streak continued.
The loss prolonged an out-of-character stretch for DeRozan, who went 6-for-18 from the sector to attain 18 factors and turned the ball over twice. DeRozan shot 4-for-15 in opposition to the Golden State Warriors on Friday and didn’t rating greater than two factors within the first half of both recreation.
After a career-best 2021-22 season, expectations might have been unrealistically excessive for DeRozan. But when his taking pictures and the staff’s ball motion aren’t clicking in the identical recreation, the Bulls offense is extraordinarily restricted.
6. Javonte Green’s harm despatched Patrick Williams again into the beginning lineup after one recreation within the secondary rotation.
Two nights after being moved into the beginning lineup, Green was pressured to take a seat out due to a knee harm incurred in opposition to the Warriors. Williams returned to the lineup, giving the ability ahead one other alternative to make an enchantment for his place within the rotation.
Williams tallied 10 factors, 5 rebounds, two blocks and a steal in one of many extra balanced performances of the night time. He was the one starter moreover LaVine to complete with a optimistic plus/minus ranking, offering much-needed rim protection in opposition to Kings massive males Domantas Sabonis and Chimezie Metu.
7. The Bulls went 1-4 in opposition to Western Conference opponents throughout their 6-game journey.
The Bulls return dwelling with solely two wins regardless of beginning the journey with a galvanizing victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Two weeks on the highway introduced the staff’s weaknesses into focus — significantly in first halves and behind the 3-point line.
Despite the current losses, the Bulls are solely three video games again from the higher half of the Eastern Conference standings. But the ultimate weeks of the calendar 12 months will pose a severe problem to show the tide — or they may cement a spot within the decrease tier of the convention.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com