Bulls drop a close one to the struggling Wizards |
CHICAGO — And then there were 10, as in just 10 games remaining in what has been an interesting Chicago Bulls (34-38) season. When you look at this team's record and the overall talent they have, you instantly think they have underachieved yet again and that the plan to run it back just doesn't work anymore.
Maybe that is the case, but when you look at the injuries they have dealt with all season with Lonzo Ball, Zach Lavine, and Patrick Williams all out for the season, this team could be in a way worse position than they are now. Even with the struggling season they have had, the Bulls are still in playoff contention, although at this point, they will be a play-in team like last season, which isn't the greatest situation for a team that hasn't had much consistency. Despite the struggles, a strong finish to the regular season can change the overall narrative of this season. The Washington Wizards (14-58) came to the United Center for what was a must-win game for the Bulls. Anytime you get this late in a season, every win is crucial, and when you face a team playing as poorly as the Wizards, you need to win these games. Unfortunately for the Bulls, they have picked a bad time to go cold as Chicago went from being just one game under .500 to four games under as the Bulls fell to the Wizards 107-105 and dropped three straight. These are the losses that can't happen this late in the season, and Billy Donovan and the company need to figure things out quickly. You could make the case that this game was decided in the first quarter when the Bulls played arguably their worst quarter in a month while the Wizards came out on fire to build a 31-17 lead. It doesn't matter how bad a team is; playing from behind by 14 points that early in a game takes a lot out of you, as the Bulls had to play catchup mode yet again. Chicago did a great job turning things around in the next two quarters. They dropped 32 points in the second quarter while allowing just 22 to pull within four at the half and continued their comeback effort to tie things up entering the fourth. In the final 12 minutes, both teams continued to exchange blows, but in the end, it was the Wizards landing one final knockout punch to take the Bulls out by two. Demar DeRozan continued to do his thing on the court, leading the Bulls with a quiet 27 points. DeRozan has been on quite a roll the past month, and if he has proven anything this season, it would be that he is about to get paid. Coby White also had a strong showing, which is promising to see, considering the hip injury he dealt with last week. White finished with 22 points, but with 16 coming in the first half, Chicago needed more from him down the stretch. Those were the big guns in the Chicago offense, although five players landed in double figures. Ayo Dosunmu had a bit of a down night but finished with 12 points to give Chicago three double-digit scorers in the starting five. You then had Alex Caruso (12) and Andre Drummond (10) add massive games off the bench, as that has been an area of need for Chicago most of the season. Drummond pulled down 12 rebounds off the bench for another double-double, while Nikola Vucevic added 16 rebounds despite dropping just nine points in the loss. Of all the teams struggling this season, the Wizards may have the most challenging future as they seem lost in the direction they want to. Jordan Poole is one of the pieces they could build around, as he led the way with 23 points for Washington. Corey Kispert is another piece starting to gain some attention, and with his 19 points and 12 rebounds, you can see why as he is playing himself into a future piece. Like the Bulls, the overall production from their starting five could have been better, with Richuan Holmes adding 14 points to round out the final double-digit scorer for the starters. The Wizards did receive massive production from Marvin Bagley III off the bench, as he added 16 big points for his team. Speaking of the bench, this is where this game was won and lost, as the Bulls bench couldn't hang with the Wizards. Yes, Chicago had 28 points from their bench, but all those came from three players. Compare that to Washington, who had 41 points. That 13-point difference was the difference in the game, as the Bulls need more production from their bench to have a chance to make a postseason run this season.
