NEWSLETTER
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
The Chicago Bulls are one of the most predictable teams in the NBA. While they shot 55.0 percent in the first half and took a solid 49-40 lead into the locker room, recent history warned us that the second half would flip the script. And that’s exactly what happened.
After holding Cleveland to just 14 points in the second quarter, they watched the Cavaliers outscore them 29-25 in the third frame before winning the 4th quarter 28-15. Donovan Mitchell gave the Cavs their first lead since the first quarter with a big-time 3 to make the score 76-74.
The Cavs eventually went on to put together a 17-4 run and take their largest lead of the night. It was the same old second-half collapse we watched many times this season, as the Bulls repeatedly failed to get the stops necessary and continue to share the basketball in the same unselfish manner that earned them the lead in the first half.
I got to give at least some props to Zach LaVine for scoring nine straight points to make it just a two-score game, but it was ultimately too little too late. The Bulls have now followed up their three-game winning streak with yet another three-game losing streak. It just serves as another reminder that the Bulls had zero excuses not to seek some kind of change at the deadline … but here we are.
26 more games to go. Ugh.
Check out the full box score here.
