A Historically Bad Night, Boos at the United Center, Coby White in a Slump? And Other Bulls Bullets

Attending an event that recognized local Chicago artist Stitch Gawd (who made these dope Benny the Bull sneakers), I didn’t have the benefit of having my power go out during the Chicago Bulls’ historic performance on Tuesday night.

But, hey, at least the United Center suite had an unlimited supply of beer!

DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls
(Photo by Andrew Lahodynskyj/Getty Images)

  • The first half was ugly, but I still fully expected the Chicago Bulls to pull away in the second half. Heck, they shot 51.1 percent from the field over the first two quarters and were playing the freakin’ 8-win Detroit Pistons. DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic also performed like the savvy vets they are, cooking the inexperienced Pistons with a combined 34 points on 15-20 shooting from the field. Sure, the Bulls were 1-16 from long range, but the tide would turn in the second half against the NBA’s worst team, right? RIGHT!?
  • My brain is still trying to comprehend the next 24 minutes of basketball. The Bulls would go on to shoot 15-51 from the field and end the night just 2-29 from downtown. Their only made 3s in the contest came from Dalen Terry and Nikola Vucevic – aka two of the team’s worst 3-point shooters this season. If you thought it was nearly impossible to shoot that poorly from long-range in today’s league, you’d be correct. The Bulls’ 6.9 percent effort is now the single-worst shooting display in NBA history among teams that have taken at least 29 attempts in a game. More on that here
  • A lot of the crowd was in utter disbelief midway through the third quarter. Every clanked three was followed by an audible gasp. To be honest, I wouldn’t be shocked if even Benny the Bull swore under his breath. The only thing I could really equate it to was watching the Houston Rockets miss 27 straight 3-pointers in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. Still, James Harden and Co. at least knocked down seven shots from behind the arc in that game!
  • Overall, the Bulls would shoot 29.4 percent from the field and score only 40 points in the second half. Head coach Billy Donovan immediately called the 2-29 shooting display from deep “a total outlier game.” Meanwhile, Ayo Dosunmu said it was borderline laughable in the moment, as he and his teammates couldn’t believe just how ice cold they were. I’m glad somebody was laughing!
  • Look, all of that might be true. As we established above, this was a historically horrendous performance that isn’t going to happen every night. But the truth of the matter is that it did. Not to mention, it happened against the NBA’s 29th-ranked defense, per NBA Stats. I know the Pistons have some long and physical athletes at the wing, but they have allowed opponents to score 121.3 points per game for a reason. They are a bad and undisciplined basketball team. So not only is it a dreadful look for a team that insists they are playoff-caliber to lose to them, but it’s even worse to do it in this fashion.
  • Indeed, this is precisely why the boobirds were out in full force as the final seconds ticked off the clock. The front office opted to do nothing at the deadline because of their desire to “remain competitive.” Is this their definition of that? Are they just happy the Bulls added another “clutch” game (contests within five points in the final 5 minutes) to their season resume?
  • We can’t talk about last night without mentioning Coby White’s 2-14 performance. White is now shooting a combined 13-49 since the All-Star break. While I’m not worried about him moving forward, I am frustrated that this could damage his case for Most Improved Player. I also have to imagine that this slump is in large part due to his insane workload. Head coach Billy Donovan has forced him to play the second-most minutes in the NBA this season, and he’s averaged 39.2 minutes per game over the last 14 contests. Coby White insisted that the minutes aren’t getting the best of him after the game, but I wouldn’t expect him to ever admit it:
  • To add injury to insult, Alex Caruso was forced to leave last night’s game with a hamstring injury. He did end up returning for a short stint but struggled to look the same. Donovan eventually ended up pulling him for the night with 2:18 left in the game. Already without Patrick Williams and Torrey Craig, things could get especially bad against the Cleveland Cavaliers this evening if Caruso isn’t able to suit up.
  • The Athletic reported that Jrue Holiday is likely to join Team USA this summer for the Olympics. Caruso was among the names listed on the 41-man player pool, but could Holiday’s inclusion hurt his chances of getting an invite?
  • Of course, the Bulls lost to the Pistons on the same day I wrote this post. While finishing 9th is still the most likely outcome, their chance of slipping into 10th over the next week undoubtedly improved.
  • Will the Chicago Bulls come out tonight extra motivated or prematurely defeated? They did at least play Cleveland close on Feb. 14, but the Cavs remain a nightmare matchup. They are 20-5 since the start of 2024 and have one of the most formidable frontcourts in the league. Chicago will surely lean on its two-big lineup again this evening, but the game could ultimately come down to the 3-point shooting for the second consecutive night. Cleveland sits top-10 in 3-point attempts per game. Considering they hold opponents to the third-fewest points in the paint per game, the Bulls will have to find some success from downtown to stay alive in this one.
  • Good to know …
  • Good news!
  • written by

    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.

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