Every time the Chicago Bulls get some kind of momentum going, a baffling loss always seems to come up and push them back. This was the case again on Tuesday night, as the Bulls found themselves on the wrong side of a 104-89 score against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Sputtered down the stretch
The Bulls trailed by 10, 49-39, at halftime but got it going in the third quarter to overcome the deficit and take a 75-72 lead heading into the fourth. The game was still tied at the seven-minute mark of the final canto when the Bulls’ offense went dry for four minutes. The relentless Grizzlies took advantage and dropped 10 straight points to take full control of the lead and eventually nab the win.
dub.
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) February 8, 2023
It was a tough loss for the Bulls, who had a win in their sights and which would have evened their record up. Instead, Chicago is now 26-28 and continues the uphill battle for a playoff spot.
Scoring woes
With leading scorer DeMar DeRozan missing the game because of a sore hip, the Bulls struggled to find buckets. Nikola Vucevic had 28 points and 17 rebounds, while Zach LaVine had 24 points of his own. Oddly enough, LaVine—an 84% shooter from the line—missed as many as seven free throws on a night where each one would have helped.
Chicago’s offense was out of sync throughout the night and shot just 36% from the field, which isn’t going to get it done against a team like Memphis. Chicago’s shooting percentage and 89 point output are their lowest marks so far this season. The Bulls just couldn’t buy a bucket in the fourth, where they went 5-of-19, including 1-of-10 from three.
“I thought we did some good things in the fourth quarter,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “I didn’t think we shot the ball particularly well from the 3 or from the field. I think we lost a little bit of rhythm.”
As the saying goes, the NBA is a make-or-miss league and on this night, the Bulls missed a lot more than usual.
“I think execution-wise, we came down and weren’t really organized,” LaVine added. “We had a lot of opportunities to make shots. We just didn’t knock them down.”
Nobody tell Reddit@ZachLaVine | @NBCSChicago pic.twitter.com/JavGx0jTcA
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 8, 2023
