The rock bottom of the 2022-2023 Chicago Bulls continues to sink in.
The latter performance allowed 150 points in regulation to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who, it’s worth noting, played without their starting frontcourt of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert in a 24-point loss, extending their current losing streak to 4 and relegating them. season record: 11-18.
Here are 10 observations.
1. Once again, the Bulls were outscored from 3-point range early in the game, and again by a team that lacked strong experience in that department. Minnesota, which is 24th in the NBA in 3-point percentage (33.4) and 24th in scoring per game, made five of its first seven attempts from that distance, finishing 6-for-12 in the first quarter and 12 in the first half. : against -21 (57.1 percent).
With that, the Bulls’ opponents are shooting 39.7 percent from 3-point range in the first half of games this year, 29th in the league. The Timberwolves had some highly contested plays on Sunday, but more times than not, they let the ball fly against either a slack or late-rotating quarterback.
2. D’Angelo Russell, questionable pregame with a knee injury, was especially on fire, scoring 20 points and making six of seven 3-point attempts in the opening two quarters. The Bulls lost him behind the arc several times, but he was unconscious regardless of distance, angle or level of competition;
Russell’s scoring spree and pick-and-roll pass that set up a pair of high-end finishes on the board fueled a 39-point second quarter for Minnesota. Their 71 first-half points marked the most the Bulls have allowed in one half this season and the 13th time they’ve allowed more than 60 points.
3. It would be easy to chalk up the Timberwolves’ flashy scoring to scorching shooting. But truth be told, the Bulls defense was porous both outside and inside.
The numbers said Minnesota had season highs for a Bulls opponent in points (150), field goals (57) and 3-pointers (23), while shooting 65.5 percent from the field, 53.5 percent from 3-point range and 88.9 percent (24-for-27) at the rim.
4. The eye test was even worse. Miscommunications about help tasks while protecting the screen and ribbon were consistent. There was often a lack of urgency and organization in the transition period. The Timberwolves even beat the Bulls back on the court a few times in the third quarter when the Bulls made baskets, an inexcusable occurrence.
It got to the point where midway through the third, the Bulls went into zone for a spell. But the Timberwolves set that on fire, too, with backdoor cuts and more made jumpers. Overall, Minnesota scored 118 points between the second and fourth quarters, 39 in the second, 42 in the third and 37 in the fourth. In the waning minutes of the game, they grinned and danced on the field as if in an empty playground.
And the evening ended with Billy Donovan repeatedly and damning his team’s competitive fire.
5. For most of the evening, the Bulls offense was able to keep pace enough to stay within shouting distance. By the end of the night, DeMar DeRozan (29 points), Nikola Vucevic (23) and Zach LaVine (22) all had fairly efficient 20-point outings. As a team, they shot 52.3 percent, made 16 3-pointers and made 31 assists. But it was just an empty stat and another disappointing wrinkle in another double-digit loss.
6. Plus, for what it’s worth, the Bulls also committed 11 turnovers in the game. That’s fewer than the high-teens/low-20s performances that have dotted the game’s log recently. But the gifts they did come up short as the Timberwolves let 20 points off them, another sign of the Bulls’ poor pass defense.
7. Out of interest, maybe match based. — by decision, Andre Drummond recorded a healthy DNP in this one. Instead, Derrick Jones Jr. got the backup center minutes (20 minutes total, Javonte Green was injured).
Jones Jr. played well enough to score 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting, and he plays with a versatile and active defensive identity. And Drummond likely doesn’t change the lopsided outcome. But it’s hard not to wonder how he could have impacted this game given the Bulls’ glaring struggles defending the rim and the Timberwolves’ lack of a starting power forward and center.
8. Back to defense. not only was that 150 points a season high for Minnesota, it was also a Timberwolves franchise record. And it’s the fourth-most points the Bulls have allowed in regulation in franchise history (first time over 150 since November 1982).
9. The Timberwolves’ leading scorers performed as such: Anthony Edwards scored 37 points and completed 11 assists, while Russell dropped 28 points and 8 drams. Russell’s jump shooting (7-for-10 from 3-point range) was a game-changer, and Edwards’ driving game (7-for-10 in the paint) looked unstoppable given the Bulls’ lack of competitiveness.
But they also had a next-man-up mentality in the frontcourt, with Naz Reed stepping up to score their first 10 points of the game and Nathan Knight scoring 16 off the bench.
10. The game was the first of a four-game road trip for the Bulls that sees stops in Miami, Atlanta and New York (to face the Knicks). And the loss dropped the Bulls to a dismal 4-11 record this season, going 7-7 at home. Needless to say, a key delay is expected.
Next up for the Bulls. Tuesday at the Miami Heat.
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