Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
THE Chicago Bulls ended its consecutive game streak with a 126-111 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night at the United Center.
For every step forward the Bulls seem to take, like in Wednesday’s overtime win at Indianapolis, they take a step back. They are back to three games under .500 and remain firmly anchored in ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
“That’s kind of the position we put ourselves in with a bad start,” Nikola Vucevic said, referring to a 5-14 start to the season. “We definitely dug ourselves a hole.”
Here are 10 observations:
—The Bulls allowed 59.3 percent shooting as Kawhi Leonard and Paul George played like they were shooting open jumpers in the park. Leonard finished with 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting, while George added 28 points on 11-of-12 shooting. George shot 6 of 7 from 3-point range and added seven assists.
“With his length and size, he’s a tough guy to play against when he gets going,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said of George, whom he coached for one season in Oklahoma City. “We tried to trap him. I thought him and Kawhi, even though they were getting through it, we got hurt on the back end on some 3s. The size of those two guys, they have the ability to play on you.”
—The Bulls actually shot very well from 3-point range, finishing 16 of 35 from beyond the arc. So the offense wasn’t the problem. The defense was. The Clippers sank 20 3-point baskets.
“They played very well offensively,” Vucevic said.
—Donovan brought out the double formation of Vucevic and Andre Drummond for the first time in a long time to start the fourth quarter. The team energized a comeback attempt, cutting a 20-point deficit to eight. But it wasn’t enough. Drummond finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes.
—The Clippers played without James Harden, who sat out a back-to-back game, while the Bulls competed without Coby White, who missed his first game of the season following his hip injury Wednesday.
—Torrey Craig started for White, who leads the NBA in minutes. The addition of Craig to the roster allowed the Bulls to put solid defenders on the Clippers’ two All-Star wings. Craig guarded Kawhi Leonard and Caruso controlled Paul George. Craig also contributed to the Bulls’ 3-point shooting, sinking four from beyond the arc.
—The Bulls also played without Julian Phillips, who was playing in Indianapolis with foot discomfort that worsened overnight. Phillips’ absence further shortened an already short rotation and led to the activation of two-way players Henri Drell and Andrew Funk. Drell made his NBA debut during cleanup time and scored his first NBA points.
—The Clippers went on a 10-0 first-quarter run in just 3 minutes, 3 seconds directly after DeRozan grounded out for the first time. This allowed them to double the Bulls 28-14 and continued a recent trend in which the Bulls are severely losing minutes where DeRozan sits. No wonder DeRozan passed White for the NBA lead in minutes played.
—Alex Caruso picked up where he left off in Indianapolis, making a career-high five 3-pointers for the second straight night. This pushed Caruso past 100 3-pointers this season. His previous career high was 55, achieved once each with the Bulls and Lakers. Caruso also joined Scottie Pippen as the only Bulls to record at least 100 3-pointers, 80 steals and 60 blocks in a season. Pippen made an insane 232 steals with his 109 3-pointers and 89 blocks during the 1994-95 season.
—With White out, Jevon Carter logged 18 minutes after not playing by coach’s decision against the Pacers. Before the game, coach Billy Donovan praised Carter’s professionalism, saying he was usually at the practice facility by 8:30 a.m. on off days before an 11 a.m. or noon practice. Carter finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
— Leonard and George weren’t the only problems. Starting for Harden, Bones Hyland finished with 17 points and a career-high 11 assists. He regularly took advantage of open space due to all the defensive attention focused on Leonard and George.
“He had a lot of opportunities to catch and shoot when we were doubling,” Donovan said. “He has always been a very good offensive player. He is very skilled with the ball in his hands.”
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