Turnovers prove costly in Bulls loss to Cavs |
CHICAGO - There have been many NBA teams getting off to a great start this season, but no team has gotten off to a better start than the Cleveland Cavaliers (12-0). Not only are the Cavs the only unbeaten team in the league, but they have handled most of their opponents this season and are just the eighth team in NBA history to start a season 12-0.
They also have the best offense in the league. This was a nightmare matchup for the Chicago Bulls (4-7), who returned to the United Center with upset on their minds. Leave it to the Bulls to give the Cavaliers one of their toughest tests of the season as Chicago went toe-toe with Cleveland from start to finish before fading in the fourth for the 119-113 defeat. There are no moral victories in sports, but this is one of those losses you can live with, as the Bulls hung with Cleveland for 45 48 minutes. Backed by 14 made triples on 36% shooting and nearly 50% shooting overall, it was the Bulls who raced out to a one-point lead after one before trailing at the break 67-66. Once the second half got underway, the hot shooting from both sides started to cool off. The Bulls shot just 40% from the field and 23% from deep in the second half, compared to 42% for Cleveland and 26% from deep. That alone kept things close. The Bulls trailed by three entering the fourth and continued to keep things at a one-possession game until midway through the fourth. It was at that moment that the Bulls got back into their old habits. Poorly timed turnovers and bad shot selection turned a one-point game into an eight-point game, and the Bulls were never able to recover. Turnovers were the big story in this one as the Bulls committed 20-plus turnovers for the fourth time this season with 21, leading to 35 Cavalier points off those turnovers. That alone was the difference in the game, and it took away from the Bulls' excellent overall performance, where all five of their starters scored in double figures. Leading the way for Chicago was Zach Lavine, who continued his terrific start to the season. Not only did Lavine carry this team in the fourth to finish with 26 points, but he also continues to play the best defense of his career, which will go a long way in helping increase his trade value. Credit him for slowing down the Cavaliers' offense in the second half, as he made life miserable for Donovan Mitchell, who we will get to in a minute. Backing Lavine was the usual Coby White and Nikola Vucevic duo, who finished with 20 points. Vucevic did it his normal way, adding eight rebounds to his 20 points, while White dished out six assists and pulled down eight rebounds. White had the hot hand in the first half, as 16 of his 20 points came in the first half before he started to cool off down the stretch. Joining them was Josh Giddey, whose 18 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists may have been his best overall showing of the season. You also had Patrick Williams pick up his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 boards, as they need him to continue to play aggressively on both ends of the floor. A big reason for the Bulls' win against Atlanta on Saturday was a bench unit that scored 48 points. With Jalen Smith out due to an injury, the Bulls bench was missing one of its biggest pieces, but it still had Ayo Dosunmu, who led the way with 10 points. The problem was, that was a majority of their bench production as the Bulls bench had just 16 points with Dalen Terry picking up four and Adama Sanogo adding the other two. As mentioned above, Lavine clamped down on Mitchell in the second half, holding him to just 11 points. However, what he did in the first half stands out. He finished with a game-high 36 points while knocking down seven triples. Mitchell has had a lot of success against this Bulls team, as he has averaged better than 28 PPG in 16 career games against Chicago, and that will go up after this performance. Mitchell wasn't alone when it came to scoring in double figures, but he was the only player on his team with 20 points, as balanced scoring was the theme for Cleveland. Darius Garland chipped in with 17 points, with Evan Mobley adding 15 points and 11 rebounds. Throw in the Cavaliers bench, which also had three players crack double figures, and that was another big reason why the Cavs won this game, as their bench outscored the Bulls 39-16. 36 of those 39 points came from three players, all of whom finished with 12 points off the bench. Georges Niang, Ty Jerome, and Caris Levert were among those three, giving the Cavaliers another balanced scoring attack. The Bulls did a great job containing Jarrett Allen, who finished with just nine points and five rebounds in the win. While no loss is a good loss, this is one of those cases where there was more good than bad in this loss, as the Bulls showed they can play with the best in the game. They just need to cut down on the turnovers and finish games in the fourth, and eventually, those wins will come. The Bulls will see this same Cavs team on the road Friday, but they will first play the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
