Bulls suffer embarrassing loss to Pistons |
CHICAGO - We are getting to the point in the NBA season where every win counts for the Chicago Bulls (27-31) as they continue to hold on to one of the remaining playoff spots. Amid a challenging schedule ahead and on the front side of a back-to-back, the Bulls had what you like to call a must-win game at the United Center on Tuesday.
I understand there is no such thing as an easy win in the NBA, but there are just certain teams you need to beat when you go up against them, and the Detroit Pistons (9-49) are one of those teams. Playing much better than they were earlier in the season, this is still the Pistons, as they have been virtually the worst team in the league all season. Yet, for whatever reason, this team has given the Bulls some fits this season and even knocked them off earlier in the year. Chicago came out with the right mindset in the first quarter, as their relentlessness to get to the rim and pressure the ball helped them jump out to a 29-22 lead after one quarter of play. From there, it was all downhill as the Pistons outscored the Bulls in each of the final three quarters, including 55-40 in the second half to complete the 105-95 win and handed the Bulls a painful setback. You can point to many things when looking at this loss, but the three-point shooting is where this game was lost for Chicago. With Detroit finding a way to knock down 14-37 from deep, the Bulls had plenty of chances to keep pace with them throughout the game. Had they been able to even shoot the ball moderately well from deep, they would have won this game, but going 2-29 isn't going to cut as this was the worst three-point shooting performance by any team this season? For a team that has lacked consistent shooting from a distance all season, this was an all-time low and makes you question why Arturas Karnisovas and the company didn't prioritize adding more shooters for this team. Even with Onurlap Bitim and Andrew Funk on the bench in this game, Billy Donovan elected not to play them as he continues to struggle with his rotational pieces from one game to the next. While most players struggled to shoot the ball, the Bulls had three players they could count on as they led the way. As expected, Demar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic continued to do their thing in the starting lineup as they both came away with 25 points. Vucevic added 10 rebounds for another double-double as he now has 501 career double-doubles. Apart from them, only Coby White and his 10 points landed in double figures for the starters, as shooting was off from the start. Had it not for Andre Drummond's performance off the bench, who knows how badly the Bulls get blown out as he gave Chicago a much-needed scoring boost? Drummond finished with 20 points in the loss and added 11 boards. Considering that the Bulls are forced to play small ball the rest of the season with Torrey Craig and Patrick Williams out, Donovan seriously needs to consider playing both Drummond and Vucevic at the same time as they give the Bulls their best chance to win. Despite the struggles for the Pistons this season, one thing you can count on from this team is the amount of fight they show. This team is built on young talent, and they never quit, no matter the score. One of those young pieces is Cade Cunningham, who continues to lead the way. Cunningham finished with a game-high 26 points while dishing out five assists as he paced the Pistons offensively. Along with him came a balanced scoring attack that saw all five starters land in double figures and six total players. Jaden Ivey was linked to the Bulls at the deadline when they were discussing Zach Lavine, and with 15 points and five assists, he would make an excellent piece in Chicago. Jalen Duran added 14 points and 10 boards, with Ausar Thompson 13 points and Isaiah Stewart 11 points doing their part in the win. Even with their starters providing plenty of balance across the board, you must give some credit to Simone Fontecchio off the bench. Seldom used early in the season, Fontecchio is starting to find his footing off the bench, and with 17 points on 5-9 shooting from deep, he was the X-Factor that helped swing the momentum to lead the Pistons to victory. Chicago can't hang their heads too long as they are back at it Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second leg of their back-to-back. Adding more insult to injury, Alex Caruso left the game with a hamstring injury leaving his status for Wednesday in doubt.
