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Bulls Game No. 50: Four-day layoff does nothing in third straight loss

By Michael Whitlow

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90. 24. 101. 169. Final

Title-contending teams in the NBA would glamor at the thought of a four-day layoff during a rough stretch of the season and would answer the call accordingly. Sadly for the Chicago Bulls right now, they’re a so-called “title contender” and are failing to look the part.

On January 5th, the Chicago Bulls picked up one of their best victories of the season in a 114-105 win over the Houston Rockets. Since that win a month ago in Chicago, the Bulls have been a complete disaster.

Heading into Wednesday’s game off a four-day layoff, the Bulls had lost nine of their last 14 games. After Wednesday night, the losing span has reached 10 in the last 15 games.

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James Harden torched the Bulls for 22 first-half points, Josh Smith — yes, the walking debacle in Detroit Josh Smith — chipped in nine points and 13 rebounds in a 101-90 loss for the Bulls. The loss was the third in a row for the Bulls on their current six-game West Coast road trip.

For the Bulls, it was “more of the same”, as Derrick Rose missed 13 of his 22 shot attempts — seven of his nine(?!) three-point attempts — Joakim Noah was a complete non-factor, going 0-for-8 from the floor and Kirk Hinrich shot 1-for-6 in over 31 minutes of action on Wednesday.

Pau Gasol‘s box score looked impressive once again, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds for his 10th straight double-double, but his interior defense was once again a cause for concern for the Bulls.

(ESPN even had a segment before Wednesday’s tip-off about the Bulls’ issues defensively … and for some odd reason, seemed to have Pau Gasol featured in a bulk of their breakdown clips.)

One of the few positives came in the form of Jimmy Butler, who scored 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting and grabbed six rebounds in the loss. Butler’s return to his early-season form is a bright spot, but his defensive struggles were on display for a national television audience.

Sure, it’s no easy task guarding the league’s front-runner for the MVP award, but this isn’t a good look:

Taj Gibson did contribute a 12-point, 10-rebound performance off the bench, but the duo of Aaron Brooks and Nikola Mirotic only chipped in eight points on 3-of-15 shooting combined.

Thoughts on the Bulls:

  • I don’t think I’ve seen a team look so disinterested in a game after having four days off. The Bulls’ energy level was low all night and outside of a 14-4 run at the end of the third quarter to cut the Houston lead to 75-70, the lifeless Bulls lack a spark all night long.
  • With each passing game, the loss of Mike Dunleavy, Jr. continues to plague the Bulls. But, the Bulls have options to help their floor spacing offensively on the bench. Maybe try Tony Snell for an extended period or give Doug McDermott a chance off his November knee surgery? You know, the Doug McDermott guy you traded two picks for in last year’s NBA Draft to get?
  • As good as Pau Gasol has been for the Bulls this year on the offensive end, he’s been nothing but a liability for a long period now defensively. Before Wednesday’s game, Gasol was allowing 5.3 field goals made per game made at the rim, which is second-worst in the NBA behind Minnesota’s Gorgui Dieng. His drifting away from big in the pick-and-roll has been an issue all season and the heavy-minute dosage may be catching up to the 34-year-old All-Star.

One final note:

Believe it or not, there was more than just the Bulls’ struggles on display down in Houston on Wednesday night.

DERRICK ROSE DUNK ALERT!

Next up for the Bulls (30-20): Saturday – 2/7, At New Orleans, 6:00 PM CT.

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Next: Bulls Game No. 49: Five takeaways from a loss in Phoenix

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