Game Recap: Bulls drop seventh straight to Warriors |
Dustin Riese
· · 3 hours ago
CHICAGO - It's official, change is needed for the Chicago Bulls (9-14) as they have now dropped seven straight and 13 of their last 16 after starting the season 6-1. Their most recent loss came at the United Center on Sunday, when the Golden State Warriors (13-12) came into town and led wire-to-wire, keeping the Bulls reeling.
Not only are the losses piling up, but the way this team is losing is becoming all the more frustrating, as it has officially quit on Billy Donovan. That's not to say Donovan is a bad coach or anything like that, but there comes a time when a team stops listening to its coach, and this is one of those times, as the Bulls fell to Golden State 123-91. A big reason for the Bulls' struggles as of late has been the injuries, but you can't use that as an excuse anymore. It's their defense, in particular their lack of defensive effort, that is their undoing right now, and you saw that right away in the first quarter when the Warriors raced out to the commanding 38-25 lead. The Warriors came out firing early with Buddy Hield and Quinten Post each knocking down early threes as the Warriors jumped to a double‑digit lead within the first few minutes. Golden State knocked down 22 triples in the contest compared to the Bulls' 11, as that 33-point difference was the game when you look at the final score. Josh Giddey (18 points) and Matas Buzelis (16 points) had the Bulls' best offensive games and tried to keep the Bulls in it early, but with a 13-point deficit after one, this was going to be a long night in the Windy City. Although the defense played much better in the second quarter, Golden State still maintained control, outscoring the Bulls by 1 to take a 14-point lead into the half. Brandin Podziemski and Gui Santos attacked the rim and were hitting from outside while Post continued to stretch Chicago’s defense to push the Warriors' lead to 15. Even with Buzelis trying to will his team back late in the half, the Warriors closed out the half on an 8-2 run, leading 60-46 at the break. It was in the third quarter when the Bulls finally appeared to have some momentum, looking like the Bulls of old. It didn't start that way as Jimmy Butler played a role in the Warriors' three-point barrage as part of his 19-point effort as the Warriors extended their lead to 24. Credit the Bulls for refusing to give up as Giddey took it upon himself to will this team back into the game by knocking down a pair of triples. Pair that with Buzelis doing his thing, and the likes of Coby White (12 points) and Jevon Carter (13 points) off the bench, and the Bulls used a 14-0 run to pull within single digits as they got to within 87-79 after three. That was about as close as things would get for the Bulls, as the fourth quarter was a complete nightmare for this team in every facet. Not only did the offense struggle, scoring just 15 points, but they also allowed 36 points on defense, turning what could've been a good game into a lopsided blowout. That all came after Chicago pulled within two possessions using a 17-1 run to make things interesting, only to have the three-point shot open things up again with Post (21 points) and Post (19 points) combining for 10 of the team's 22 threes to pave the way for the dominating 123-91 win. Podziemski led Golden State with 21 points off the bench, repeatedly punishing Chicago’s defense from deep and in transition. Jimmy Butler and Quinten Post added 19 points each. For Chicago, Giddey (18 points) and Buzelis (16 points) were the primary bright spots on a night when the Bulls shot just 36 percent, were out‑rebounded 51–38, and managed their lowest point total of the season. This was supposed to be the easy portion of their schedule, and had it not been for a last-second win against the Wizards to kick off this stretch, the Bulls would be on a nine-game losing streak. With four days off until their next game, this team has some soul-searching to do as they are going to be faced with some tough decisions soon.
