Chicago Bulls: The good, bad and ugly from opening loss to Sixers
By Ryan Heckman
There was a bit of good to come from the Chicago Bulls’ opening night loss in Philadelphia.
Thursday night, fans of the Chicago Bulls were taken on quite the ride. The Bulls took on the Philadelphia 76ers in the city of brotherly love and, for a while, hung with one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference.
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It was a huge test, especially considering the Bulls were without three key players. Lauri Markkanen is still out for a while with an elbow injury. Denzel Valentine is nearly recovered from an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, starting point guard Kris Dunn missed the season-opener because he and his girlfriend welcomed their newborn son that morning — pretty good reason to be absent, I’d say.
Even without three players who saw a lot of playing time a year ago, and are in for more this season, the Bulls put on quite the show — in the first half.
In the end, the Sixers were the better team. I think we all knew that going in, but they still have to play the game, and that’s why we watch.
For those who may have missed the action, the Bulls had some moments where they looked like they could be a pretty formidable squad on offense. Defense, though, is a totally different story. Head coach Fred Hoiberg was said to be on the hot seat this season by multiple media outlets, and the ups and downs that transpired on Thursday night certainly didn’t help his case.
There was good. There was bad. Ultimately, though, things turned ugly.