Scattered boos rained down from the United Center stands within the closing seconds of the Chicago Bulls’ fourth straight loss Monday, a 100-91 defeat in opposition to the Orlando Magic.
The Bulls have been suffering from acquainted points: poor ball motion, arctic 3-point capturing, sloppy play in transition. But the loss was most emphatically punctuated by an absence of power that has outlined the workforce’s newest skid over the past week.
With two video games left earlier than the All-Star break, the Bulls are 5 video games under .500 and sinking within the Eastern Conference standings.
The loss was compounded by an early exit from DeMar DeRozan, who pulled himself off the court docket within the closing two minutes due to discomfort from a proper leg damage. DeRozan mentioned he hasn’t been in a position to shoot or transfer comfortably since mid-December.
The Bulls haven’t decided the reason for DeRozan’s ache. He will endure an examination by the Bulls medical employees Tuesday and is weighing whether or not to sit down out both of the 2 remaining video games earlier than the break.
“It’s been bad, to be honest with you,” DeRozan mentioned of the damage. “I’ve never been one to complain, but it’s just something I’ve been dealing with for a while.”
The lows
- Sloppy ball administration plagued the Bulls from the opening whistle. They coughed up six turnovers within the first quarter, resulting in seven Magic factors, and completed with 16 turnovers leading to 15 factors. The solely comfort was the Magic’s equally ugly ball safety: 18 turnovers for 16 Bulls factors.
- The Bulls sank right into a stagnant fashion of offense, resorting to an isolation method that positioned the burden of scoring on the person shoulders of Zach LaVine (26 factors), DeMar DeRozan (19) and Nikola Vučević (13). The Bulls completed with solely 17 assists on 35 made baskets and didn’t crack 100 factors for the third time in 4 video games.
The highs
- Dalen Terry supplied a short spark within the second half, thundering off the bench with the keen depth of a rookie who has hardly seen the court docket all season. With the remainder of his teammates caught in a sluggish stupor, Terry’s power popped as he tallied 4 factors, one rebound and one steal in 9 minutes. After drawing an offensive foul within the third quarter, Terry smashed his head into the stanchion in celebration, incomes a combination of laughter and cheers from the followers behind the basket.
Stat of the sport
The Bulls missed their first 16 3-pointers and completed 3-for-21. The Magic suffered equally within the first half, going 2-for-12, however improved barely within the second half to complete 8-for-27.
The Bulls are 26-for-125 (20.8%) behind the arc throughout their four-game skid.
Injury report
Alex Caruso missed the sport due to a sore left foot. Coach Billy Donovan mentioned Caruso aggravated an ongoing damage in Saturday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and was a game-time determination.
Where they stand
The Bulls fell to 26-31 and are eleventh within the Eastern Conference.
What comes subsequent
The Bulls will journey to Indiana to face the Pacers on Wednesday, then host the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday earlier than the All-Star break. DeRozan will play within the All-Star Game on Sunday in Salt Lake City.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com