Another Game, Another Bad Second Half: Bulls Lose to Pistons

This is becoming a disturbing trend.  The Bulls have a fine first half, but implode in the second.  Such was the case last week against Denver, Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers and  in Monday's 109-95 loss to the Detroit Pistons during their final game at The Palace of Auburn Hills.  It tied the teams at 31-32, though they still hold onto the final two playoff spots in the East.

Even without Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo due to injuries, the Bulls initially appeared not to need them, outpacing Detroit on the break, 10-0, in the first quarter and leading by as much as 14 during that frame.  But the Pistons cut that lead to four by halftime and the contest was knotted after three quarters.  The final frame was all Detroit, which opened it with a 12-3 run and ultimately outscored the Bulls, 30-16.  That happens when your offense lasts longer and you take away easy chances on defense, though it helps when your opponent lets you score at will and can't respond.

Reggie Jackson was the Pistons' big player, scoring 24 of his 26 points in the second half and shooting a perfect 10 for 10 from the field during that time.  Jon Leuer scored 16 and 13 points apiece came from Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris.  Andre Drummond, whom the Bulls hacked for a bit in the third quarter (a strategy Will Perdue said changed the course of the game), had 12 points and eight rebounds.  Aron Baynes, whom Australian Olympic coach Luc Longley was in the building to check out, put on a decent showing of 12 and seven.

Jimmy Butler regrouped from his bad game against the Clippers to lead all scorers with 27 points and grab nine boards.  Robin Lopez was his usual reliable self in the pain, scoring 18.  Cameron Payne showed a glimpse of why Gar Forman acquired him, hitting a game-high four 3-pointers during a 14-point game.  Bobby Portis scored 10 and Jerian Grant dished a season-high eight assists.

It came down to who had more energy down the stretch and in this case, Detroit's 54-20 advantage on points in the paint over the final three quarters played a huge part.  Little resistance from the Bulls on one end and employing shooters who aren't consistent enough on the other can only mean disaster.  And too many turnovers, five of their 10 coming from Butler, gave Detroit more chances they were mostly happy to take advantage of.  Worst of all, they looked defeated in the face of adversity during the second half and you cannot do that in the NBA.

Every game is becoming more pivotal as the season approaches its final month.  The next one will be on the road Wednesday against the Orlando Magic.  The Bulls' win there on Jan. 24 was the last time I blogged right after a victory.  I'll be working this time however, so my next chance to feel good while writing after a game will have to wait a little longer, which just goes to show how elusive wins are becoming for a team that's still hovering around .500.

Nuggets' Hot Shooting Dooms Bulls

Like it's not enough the Bulls can't shoot 3-pointers?  They have to die on certain nights by that method posed by their opponent too?  That was the case in Tuesday's 125-107 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

The contest was even throughout the first half and the Bulls even led by three at the break.  It remained close until the final three minutes of the third quarter when the Nuggets closed the frame on a 13-4 run.  Things got exponentially worse in the fourth, which saw the Nuggets hit six 3-pointers and the Bulls apply very little defensive pressure.  By the end, the United Center faithful was showering the home team with some boos.

All five Denver starters scored in double figures, but none did more damage than Nikola Jokic, who achieved both his third triple-double of the year and the third triple-double against the Bulls this season:  19 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists.  Danilo Gallinari was the game's leading scorer with 22 points, followed closely by DePaul product Wilson Chandler's 20.  Gary Harris, one of the two picks the Bulls traded for the now-departed Doug McDermott during the 2014 draft, tied with Will Barton for 15.  Jamal Murray scored 14 and Jameer Nelson added 12.

Dwyane Wade was the Bulls' most productive player with team highs of 19 points and six assists.  Rajon Rondo also scored 19 and generally provided one of the few bright spots on the team, a rare feat for him.  New regular starter Bobby Portis had 12 and Robin Lopez finished just behind him with 10.  Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler was nowhere to be found, scoring just eight on 3 of 13 shooting.

Granted, there's not much the Bulls can do when the team they're facing is shooting 56.3 percent, but it exposes them as a team that doesn't match up well when an offensive explosion takes place on the other end.  It shows how poorly Gar Forman constructed this team before the season and so far, didn't do much better by acquiring Cameron Payne (2 for 10 from the field Tuesday).  Games like this expose holes in the team which could have been avoided with better planning.  If you're consistently coming up short on offense and can't prevent anything on defense, you deserve every boo that comes down upon you from your fans.

It doesn't get any easier with Thursday's nationally-televised tilt with the Golden State Warriors.  Maybe it gets a bit easier with Kevin Durant's injury on Tuesday, but the Splash Brothers are alive and well.  That TNT streak faces its biggest threat yet.  And my sister is going to the game, so a lot of nerve-wracking and unusual activity will be taking place on the West Side.

Gibson, McDermott Traded to Thunder

I have to go to work soon, so I'll keep this brief.  The Bulls made a deal at the trade deadline that sent Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round draft pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder.  In return, they received Cameron Payne, Joffrey Lauvergne and Anthony Morrow.

Trading Gibson and his expiring contract is no surprise.  McDermott probably needed a change of scenery after underachieving from the time he was drafted in 2014.  I'll miss the longest tenured Bull and a player I thought could have done so much more in Chicago.

As for the haul the Bulls got, none will really change the fortunes of the team, at least not in the short term.  Payne becomes the latest in a bunch of point guards auditioning for the long-term starting job.  If Nikola Mirotic or Bobby Portis don't get the regular start at power forward, figure Lauvergne will have a chance to earn some minutes.  Morrow, 31, gives Rajon Rondo a fellow veteran presence off the bench.

Payne has the most promise of the three given his age and the Bulls' need for a point guard, but the other two deserve a chance to shine as well.  At this point, every player who puts on a Bulls uniform is auditioning to be part of the next core to make a run at a championship, especially if they're young.  While that can be true of any new player at any time, the Bulls are at a crossroads right now.  They need to see who's worth their money both now and in the long run.

The question going forward for this season is will this knock the Bulls out of the playoff picture?  It might have been easier to say yes if the Eastern Conference wasn't as putrid as it's been this century.  But it's tough to succeed without a post player with the caliber of Gibson.  Then again, a time when you're trying to develop the future of your franchise should be more about just that and not necessarily the playoffs, extra revenue be damned (though that's something the Reinsdorfs probably don't want to hear).