NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bulls couldn’t ask for a better way to shake off a two-game skid. The Washington Wizards were 13-58 on the season and entered the night with the single-worst defensive rating in the NBA. Not to mention, they were missing their leading scorer (Kyle Kuzma), leading assist man (Tyus Jones), and several role players (Bilal Coulibaly, Deni Avdija, and Eugene Omoruyi). The Bulls beat this team by 29 points earlier this month, and it was time to do it again.
So, naturally, the Bulls started the game down 15-0! They came out a painful mix of lackadaisical and ice-cold. They went 1-10 from downtown in the first quarter on their way to an overall 26.1 percent shooting effort from the field. Meanwhile, the Wizards shot 52.0 percent and took a highly motivated 31-17 lead into the second quarter.
Knowing the Wizards, they were never going to continue hitting buckets at that rate. And, knowing the Bulls, they were going to storm back. The only thing this team likes more than playing in the clutch is playing double-double digits! So Chicago would unsurprisingly win the second quarter 32-22 and shoot 11-22 from the field. Coby White was a big part of getting his team back on track, scoring 16 points over the first two quarters to head into the locker room down just 53-49.
Still, despite the confidence everybody had that the Bulls would inch their way back into this one, tempers started to flare. DeMar DeRozan expresses notable frustration at a lack of foul calls, while Coby White even kicked the scorer’s table on his way into halftime.
This angst would carry into the third quarter, where Alex Caruso would even get T’d up for giving Jordan Poole a shove on a steal attempt (right after Poole got away with his own shove, by the way). However, the good news was the Bulls had finally tied things up right before this brief scuffle. The two sides would then exchange runs over the rest of the frame to head into the final 12 minutes knotted up at 82 apiece. Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig combined for the Bulls’ 8-0 run that would force the tie.
The Wizards followed that up with their own 7-0 run to begin the fourth quarter. And this little spurt set the tone for the rest of the game. Every single time the Bulls managed to carve back into the league, the Wizards had a burst of energy in them to keep Chicago at arm’s length. Even with Chicago entering the bonus with over 7:00 minutes to go, they failed to gain control of things. They basically reverted back to their lackadaisical and cold ways of the first quarter, shooting just 33.0 percent from the field.
Did I expect them to pull off the win once they entered the clutch? Absolutely. They have the second-most clutch wins of the season and the fourth-best clutch net rating. As for the Wizards, they have a 7-22 record in the clutch and a -42.7 net rating – aka easily the worst in the NBA. Yet, as the Bulls have shown us time and again, they have the possibility of losing to any team on any given night.
Indeed, this group has now lost to the two worst teams in the NBA. You’re not “competitive” when that’s the case – you’re just a crapshoot.
More about the worst loss of the season tomorrow. For now, I’ll direct your attention to the post I wrote shortly before tip-off. Feels even more timely now.
Check out the full box score here.
