To the likely dismay of Charles Lee and Billy Donovan, defense was optional on Friday night at the United Center.
The Chicago Bulls quickly found themselves down to the 14th-seeded Charlotte Hornets, who started the night 5-7 from the field. Multiple defensive breakdowns forced Donovan to call one of his vintage early timeouts. Dropping four of their last five games, it felt like we could be in for another low-effort night from the Bulls, especially once they found themselves down double digits early in the second quarter.
The youngsters weren’t going to let that happen, though. The second unit helped spark a 7-0 run to cut the Hornets’ lead to 49-44. Jalen Smith finished strong around the rim while Matas Buzelis corraled a full-court feed for the slam. The tempo and liveliness of the game completely changed from there. Players were hustling for loose balls, soaring for rebounds, and looking for easy buckets in transition. Coby White and Josh Giddey were a big part of making sure the fire the second unit started didn’t go out.
Now, does this mean the defensive execution improved? Not in the slightest. The Bulls were reserving all their energy for scoring the basketball, and the same could be said about the Charlotte Hornets. By the time the first-half buzzer sounded, the score was a startling 73-71 with the Hornets leading. Both teams shot upwards of 55.0 percent from the field.
It wasn’t until the third quarter that the Bulls finally tried to play a two-way game. Chicago did a much better job crowding the paint and moving their feet defensively. The Hornets helped them out with some sloppy ball-handling, but the Bulls’ activity led to a handful of turnovers and extra possessions. Zach LaVine helped make sure the Bulls took full advantage of those mistakes, scoring 10 of his 19 points in the quarter.
The Bulls would rattle off a 14-4 run to give themselves a 103-98 lead heading into the final 12 minutes. Once again, the bench provided some key minutes, as Julian Phillips got to the line twice in the final couple of minutes.
Charlotte had a counterattack ready. They would go on to start the fourth quarter on a 17-2 run, dominating the Bulls with their physicality and athleticism in the paint. The Bulls didn’t score their first bucket of the frame until the 7:24 mark, and their frustration was evident. After Nikola Vucevic didn’t hear the whistle following two misses at the rim, he stormed the referee with some choice words. It led to an easy technical foul that put the Hornets up 116-105.
I can’t decide if what transpired over the next six minutes was a good comeback or an epic collapse. But I think it’s the former? The Bulls started to look a little more like their third-quarter self, stacking stops and creating good looks offensively. Vucevic turned his frustration into fuel, scoring 15 of the Bulls’ final 18 points. Mark Williams may have been giving the Bulls fits on one end, but Vucevic was teaching the 23-year-old a thing or two on the other end.
Before we knew it, the Bulls found themselves down only 125-123 with a chance to steal the game after a missed Vasilije Micic free throw. They came out of the time out with a great play design that led to an open Vucevic three at the top of the key. The big man hit the front of the rim before Zach LaVine snagged the offensive rebound. He would send up a contested mid-range jumper that ended up in the hands of Ayo Dosunmu, who had a third chance to tie the game. He hit the side of the backboard.
That’s what we call an elite tank loss! The Bulls have now lost five of their last six games and move to a dismal 8-15 at the United Center.
Player Grades
Nikola Vucevic – A
Stats: 40 PTS, 13 REB, 3 AST
Despite battling a physically imposing seven-footer in Mark Williams, Nikola Vucevic looked more than comfortable. The Bulls did a good job setting him up in his spots down low, and Vucevic executed to the tune of a 17-25 shooting effort. Do you think they had this game on in the Warriors front office?
Coby White – A-
Stats: 18 PTS, 8 AST, 5 REB
Coby White’s stats may not jump off the page, but he played a significant role in raising the energy level. He also shot 6-7 from the field and played some scrappy defense down the stretch.
Zach LaVine – B
Stats: 19 PTS, 8 AST, 6 REB, 2 STL
Zach LaVine realized Nikola Vucevic had it going tonight and made sure to keep feeding the big man. Also, without his third-quarter scoring burst, the Bulls likely let this game get away from them.
Lonzo Ball – B-
Stats: 6 PTS, 3 AST, 3 REB, 3 STL
Lonzo Ball finished the night with a +16 and made multiple heads-up plays. A little more help from downtown would have been nice, though (2-6 3PT). He moves to 2-2 against his younger bro.
Josh Giddey – C-
Stats: 6 PTS, 5 AST, 5 REB
I actually thought Josh Giddey did a pretty solid job early on in this game, but Billy Donovan clearly didn’t think this was the matchup for him. His lack of defense played a big role in holding him to only 26 minutes tonight.
Patrick Williams – D
Stats: 5 PTS, 1 AST, 2 BLK
In a game against one of the more active rebounding teams in the league with good size at the wings, Patrick Williams was a non-factor. Billy Donovan benched him in the second half and rightfully so. Things are getting pretty grim for the 23-year-old.
Box Score
Check out the full box score here.