If I taught a class called How to Lose a Basketball Game 101, last night’s game would undoubtedly be on the syllabus.
While the Bulls’ offense did finish with an efficient 52.1 percent performance from the floor, they allowed the Raptors to take 23 more shots over the course of the game. How did this happen? Endless turnovers and offensive rebounds. Indeed, the Raptors shot just 40.4 percent on the night but pulled off the 104-98 win thanks to more heart and hustle (somewhere Jim Boylen just smiled).
I re-watched all 19 offensive rebounds for Toronto – which led to a 15-4 advantage in second-chance points – and felt even more annoyed than I did last night (and I was pretty freakin’ annoyed!). While I thought I remembered a good portion of those boards coming on long rebounds, I actually only counted two (maybe three depending on what we want to consider a true long rebound). The strong majority of the Raptor’s second-chance opportunities came simply from leaping over the Bulls’ small starting lineup and outworking them in the paint. Don’t get me wrong, I know this is a particular skill that Toronto tends to be very good at, but that just means the Bulls have to come in better prepared!
The lack of any real adjustment by head coach Billy Donovan in last night’s game was surely frustrating. While I understand that this starting lineup picked up two much-needed wins coming out of the All-Star break, it became abundantly clear that having Caruso and Beverley on the floor wasn’t offering the team the size they needed. Whether it be Patrick Williams’ wider frame or even Derrick Jones Jr.’s length, I would have liked to see someone else try to help stop the bleeding. Keep the Raptors from grabbing two or three extra possessions, and that could have been the difference between winning and losing.
With a game later tonight in Detroit, the Bulls have no choice but to shake this one off. Fortunately, it sounds like Patrick Beverley knows to do just that:
“Nineteen offensive rebounds and turnovers and to lose a game by six, eight points, I’ve been in this league a long time and that’s pretty impressive,” Beverley told Bulls’ dot com. “Get some more shots up. I don’t know, box out, get three more rebounds, 16 instead of 19, and we win this game by eight points. I’m not worried, I’m excited. I was very anxious to see the locker room after a loss, see what I’m dealing with. So I’m excited.”
Beverley also didn’t hesitate to re-emphasize the Bulls’ goal over these final few weeks after an ugly loss:
“The goal is not to get to the playoffs. The goal is to get to the playoffs and compete. Not just to go there and be a wash rag for another team. Not even only that, but we had 15 turnovers with the first unit. I think I was the leading rebounder in the first unit. That’s unacceptable. The first unit has to be better, and we will.”
Beverley was, in fact, the starting lineup’s leading rebounder with 7. I agree that is basically unacceptable, but let’s also not forget that Nikola Vucevic had one of the toughest matchups on the night against Jakob Poeltl. If someone like Poeltl is able to help take him out of the game, you need some more size out there to compete with the length of guys like Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, and OG Anunoby (all finished with 8 rebounds). Would I like to see LaVine and DeRozan potentially fight a little harder on the glass? Sure. But I don’t necessarily blame them for not being able to overcome this glaring mismatch.
Chicago has had Detroit’s number this season, and there are zero excuses not to make it three-straight wins against them tonight. The Pistons have lost five in a row and have the third-worst assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA. In other words, they aren’t a dynamic offensive team and can really struggle to take care of the basketball, which should have the Bulls’ 6th-ranked drooling.
“To some people, it could be that ‘Pat Bev got traded.’ When, all of reality, it was like. ‘I didn’t like what was going on. Let’s find a better home for me,'” Beverley said. “Not ‘ok, he ain’t good enough, let’s get rid of him.’ All that sh*t was my decision. So, you got to think, I’m making a decision that’s my decision that they honor my request but at the same time, now I’m sitting here without a home.”
So Beverley was clearly saying the trade was his idea, but I think he’s also trying to stress that having to go through the buyout market to find a new home wasn’t the plan? Maybe he was hoping to end up in Minnesota as part of the Jazz-Timberwolves-Lakers deal? Regardless, I’ll be curious to see if we hear any more about how this actually went down. I would be a tad surprised if Beverley actually pushed his way out of LA for multiple reasons.
Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.
The Bulls and Heat go at it for the last spot in the NBA Playoffs. Let's get it. https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1781299357574213738 Game Info Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls – 6:00 p.m. CT on ESPN (TV) and 670 The Score (Radio) Chicago Bulls Coby White...
A familiar last name will be in the Big Ten next season. Scottie Pippen's kid, Justin, has committed to the University of Michigan, according to Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports. The youngest son of the Chicago Bulls legend, Pippen started...
I was sitting at an empty table with my legs crossed sipping on some white wine. The rest of the group was up on the dance floor, sending over the increasingly frequent wave to join them. I followed up each...
One Chicago Bulls player has already taken home some hardware. As the NBA waits to announce its end-of-season awards, the G-League has started to share its top accolades. While the Windy City Bulls finished an underwhelming 15-19 on the season,...
Alex Caruso could be missing a foot and would probably still suit up for a do-or-die game. The Chicago Bulls' defensive anchor told ESPN's Jamal Collier that he expects to play in tonight's Play-In Tournament game against the Miami Heat....
The Chicago Bulls will do something tonight that I can't remember another one of my favorite sports teams doing. With a loss, the frustrations of where this organization stands will consume me. With a win, the frustrations of where this...
The Miami Heat are a better team than the Chicago Bulls. We can all agree on that, right? We're talking about a franchise with three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in four seasons. This included last year's historic run,...
The Miami Heat announced Thursday afternoon that Jimmy Butler will officially miss Friday night's do-or-die matchup with the Chicago Bulls. The announcement comes after Butler suffered a knee injury during the first quarter of the 7v8 Play-In game against the...
The Chicago Bulls aren't ruling Alex Caruso out just yet. Despite the guard having to exit Wednesday night's Play-In Tournament over the Atlanta Hawks, Caruso is currently listed as "questionable" on the latest official injury report. The Bulls' defensive anchor...
Joakim Noah hasn't played in an NBA game since September 2020, but he still can't stand the thought of losing. The Chicago Bulls legend recently appeared on an episode of The OGs Podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller for...
The Milwaukee Brewers (11-6), led by William Contreras, visit Brendan Donovan and the St. Louis Cardinals (9-10) on Saturday at 2:15 PM ET.The article below will give you everything you need to watch Milwaukee play St. Louis.When is Brewers vs....
On Saturday, Michael Busch and the Chicago Cubs (12-7) play Luis Arraez and the Miami Marlins (4-16), with first pitch scheduled for 2:20 PM ET at Wrigley Field.If you're intending to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and TV...
The Minnesota Twins (6-11), with Bailey Ober on the hill, host the Detroit Tigers (10-9) who will start Reese Olson, at 2:10 PM ET on Saturday in a series opener.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on how to...
The New York Yankees (13-6), led by Juan Soto, host Isaac Paredes and the Tampa Bay Rays (11-9) at 1:05 PM ET on Saturday.Find out how to watch the New York-Tampa Bay matchup below.When is Yankees vs. Rays and when...
The Cincinnati Reds (9-9), led by Spencer Steer, host Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels (9-10) at 6:40 PM ET on Saturday.See how to watch the Cincinnati-Los Angeles matchup below.When is Reds vs. Angels and when does it start?This...
In a series opener on Saturday, Logan Allen will take the mound for the Cleveland Guardians (13-6) against Alex Wood and the Oakland Athletics (8-11), with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 PM ET at Progressive Field.Keep reading to find out...
In a series opener on Saturday, Mitch Haniger and the Seattle Mariners (9-10) face Ryan McMahon and the Colorado Rockies (4-15), with first pitch scheduled for 8:10 PM ET at Coors Field.Find out how to watch the Seattle-Colorado matchup below.When...
Corbin Burnes will take the mound for the Baltimore Orioles (12-6) when they visit starter Cole Ragans and the Kansas City Royals (12-7) on Saturday, with first pitch at 7:10 PM ET.Keep reading to see how to watch the Baltimore-Kansas...
The Atlanta Braves (12-5), with Charlie Morton on the mound, host the Texas Rangers (11-9) who will start Nathan Eovaldi, at 7:20 PM ET on Saturday in a series opener.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on how to...
On Saturday, Jose Altuve and the Houston Astros (6-14) play C.J. Abrams and the Washington Nationals (8-10), with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 PM ET at Nationals Park.Find out how to watch the Houston-Washington matchup below.When is Astros vs. Nationals...
NEWSLETTER
