Bulls Game No. 55: Poor effort leads to bad loss in Detroit

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91. 24. 100. 64. Final

After riding a four-game winning streak into the mid-season break and enjoying an eight-day layoff, the Chicago Bulls rode into Detroit for a Central Division meeting with the Pistons at full strength. One minor problem about Friday night’s game: They forgot to show up.


Through 55 games, the Chicago Bulls sit at 34-21, 13 games over the .500 mark. Throughout the season, the Bulls have suffered losses in games that you could argue that they should have won.

For the Bulls on Friday night, their nine-point loss to the Detroit Pistons was not one of those games.

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Detroit was short-handed, dressing only 10 guys after Thursday’s mind-boggling trade deadline that saw Oklahoma City Thunder guard Reggie Jackson traded to the Pistons in a three-team trade.

You would think that would be an opportunity for the Bulls to take advantage of a sub-.500 team short-handed, right? Not quite.

After taking a 53-45 lead into the half, the Bulls were outscored 32-15 in the third quarter and never recovered. In that third quarter, the Bulls shot an abysmal 7-for-20 from the floor and committed six of their 20(!) turnovers on the night.

"“The Pistons are a good team. If you take away their start, you’d understand they played very well since they made their changes,” Thibodeau said. “You get a team like this, and they’re waiting on some players, they’re playing at a high intensity level. You let your guard down, you’re gonna get beat.”-Tom Thibodeau on the Pistons, CSNChicago.com"

That’s awfully modest for a team that was 12 games under .500 and lost their starting point guard for the season. Do the Pistons have talent? Yes, absolutely. The Greg Monroe/Andre Drummond frontcourt combo pounded the Bulls inside all night long for 38 points and 26 rebounds combined.

But, you also have a good team too, Tom … at least when they show up.

One of the stories of the week was Derrick Rose missing Wednesday’s practice due to “travel issues”. Rose had the kind of game you don’t want your superstar having after a hot finish to the first half of the year.

How bad was it for Rose on Friday night? In 31 minutes, Rose shot 2-for-9 from the floor for just eight points and committed six turnovers.

People wasted no time letting their disappointments known on social media:

Folks may not want to hear it, but Rose was a giant issue last night.

Sure, Joakim Noah missed at least four “bunnies” around the basket and Pau Gasol‘s interior defense was phantom-like against the Monroe/Drummond duo, but your superstar point guard can’t lay an egg against a rookie destined for a trip to the D-League soon — especially after missing a practice during the week.

Many will say, “It’s just one game,” forgetting that there’s just 27 games left in the regular season and playoff positioning is becoming vital by the day.

Final Game Notes:

  • If it wasn’t for Jimmy Butler, the Bulls probably would have lost by 20+. Butler was stellar after his first All-Star Game appearance, scoring 30 points on 9-of-18 shooting, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists.

Next up for the Bulls (34-21): Home vs. Phoenix, 2/21, 7:00 PM CT.

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