It wouldn’t look better without Zach LaVine.
In fact, it all looked about the same Wednesday as it did for much of this thankless Bulls season, crushed early with poor shooting and a dozen-point deficit after one quarter and toasted by a 34-16 deficit four minutes into the second quarter. But these guys don’t get knocked out often as the game was tied at the end of the third quarter with what seemed like a chance for the Bulls to get on the gravy train with a win to start this road of four matches. journey.
Twice in the final six and a half minutes – and once while pulling for a tie – the Bulls found themselves, as the broadcasters like to enthusiastically declare, in a one-score game. But a mix of foul three-pointers, a lost challenge on a block, a 24-second violation with several players wide open and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s brilliance with 40 points so impressive even Alex Caruso was baffled allowed the young and becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder to end their season against the Bulls with a 116-102 victory.
The Bulls, now seeing their record fall to 5-11, must leave the country.
But it’s not for lack of effort, as the road trip continues in Toronto on Friday with still a very, very good chance to qualify for the season’s tournament.
“During the 48 minutes I felt we played very hard. And to keep getting the same result is frustrating,” admitted Coby White, who continued his superb shooting with 23 points and seven of 12 threes.
White shot 15 of 30 from three in the last three games, as with LaVine injured in his right foot, DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 25 points. Nikola Vučević added 16 points and 12 rebounds.
“Being negative and frustrated is not going to solve any of the problems we have,” White said. “I have to continue to progress, improve, trust myself, encourage each other and stay positive. Obviously there are a few games that we should have won, but that’s how it is. We have to look forward, keep working and keep our heads high and we are still here competing. We’re all on the same page, staying positive and encouraging each other. We trust each other. It won’t be easy, but we must fight. We have three games left on this road trip, so try to go 3-1.
Which would be a nice icing on the cake for a season that has been a bit complicated so far.
I’m hungry for some reason, so it’s good that I have time to finish this. The hope is that the Bulls also have opportunities.
“Next man up mentality,” DeRozan said. “More opportunities for the next person to take advantage and be ready to play.”
The Bulls got some good contributions thanks to LaVine’s rare absence. He said he hoped to play Friday in Toronto after trying in pregame to shake off the discomfort and difficulties.
Caruso had his seventh straight game in double figures with 12 points, although Gilgeous-Alexander is gifted having faced Caruso’s best and getting to the basket on multiple occasions, was fouled on 17 of 18 free throws and probably made even DeRozan admire him. the space he got with mid-range shots.
“He (Gilgeous-Alexander) hits a lot of tough shots in today’s game that most people would consider bad shots,” White said. “Two contested, two faded, sometimes he shoots with three hands; a hell of a player. You can’t take everything, and for me he has everything in his bag. He’s been on a tear this season. He had big matches all season. It’s a difficult task. Obviously, tonight he had another big game.
Early on, in another it was the Bulls as Gilgeous-Alexander repeatedly beat the Bulls off the dribble for layups, then executed easy putbacks for 10 first quarter points and a 26 lead -14 for the Thunder.
The Bulls trailed only 6-5 about four minutes later. But they were emerging from that familiar deep hole again to find the sunshine of competitiveness after shooting four of 23 in the first quarter, two of 11 to three. Although this time the Bulls had a three-way advantage for the game thanks to White, with the Bulls going 17 to Oklahoma City’s 11. But the young Thunder with Gilgeous-Alexander and emerging giant rookie Chet Holmgren (18 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks) dominated inside with flashy moves and cuts that repeatedly allowed easy layups and fierce dunks.
And as for these departures….
“I have to be aggressive and get something easy instead of just settling (early),” DeRozan said. “We like to kind of settle into the game, throw a few shots and once we miss a few in a row, it plays on you a little bit. Get something easy, something at the rim, something close and see the ball go in. These are not bad shots. I feel like we can be more aggressive and get something easier and see the ball go in first and not worry about those back-to-back misses; (then you) kind of start pressing hoping for a bucket to come.
And it was once again a big part of the first half as the Bulls trailed 50-39 at halftime in another one of those mysterious offensively contested early games.
“You’re going to go down like us when you don’t shoot the ball well,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “That’s kind of the problem for us. We had a few halves where we had 39, 40 points, and then you look at some of the second halves we had, it was 63, 65, 64. For whatever reason, we couldn’t shoot the ball consistently throughout the game. They kept hitting, kept fighting, kept getting back in the game. I felt like we were trying to move the ball, it was generating some good looks; I just didn’t shoot it at a high enough level during that first half. But I liked what we were trying to do in generating plans for each other.
“It’s a fight when you lose,” Donovan said. “But I see them fighting and trying. We just weren’t consistent enough shooting the ball.
Except for White at the end of that second quarter, when he kept the Thunder on the horizon with five of six threes in the quarter and 15 points.
The Bulls try to move the ball, but more to circulate it around the perimeter. Donovan talked all season about getting into the paint (what we called the lane), that downhill thing. Oklahoma City does it well and got several good shots to Thunder reserve Isaiah Joe with 20 points and the efficient four-point play when White fouled a three with 1:59 left in the game. The four points made the score 111-99 Thunder.
But the Bulls don’t seem to have the same deep lane penetration. So when driving and throwing the ball, defenders have a shorter distance to get closer, making shots more difficult. In fact, Caruso is one of the Bulls’ best players getting close to the rim and passing.
With the Bulls still trailing 62-45 a few minutes into the second half after another short score from Gilgeous-Alexander, Caruso brightened things up with a score on a steal from Vučević, his own steal leading to the free throws from DeRozan – eight in the quarter – White with three more, and like that, it was Oklahoma City by three. And then tied at 69 with 4:29 left in the third quarter after that 17-3 Bulls run.
“It’s tough to overcome a four-for-23 (start) at a certain point,” Donovan said. “But they fight and try and compete. Obviously, there’s a really good scorer in Zach, but I give our guys credit. Sometimes it gets deflated when they miss shots, but give them credit for sticking around and fighting their way back into the game. I just couldn’t do enough games to get over the difficulty, so to speak.
The Thunder made these plays, like Joe with a three with Gilgeous-Alexander doubled after this tie at 69. And then with the Bulls in the penalty, a parade of Oklahoma City to the free throw line to allow them to lead 84-77 after three. The Bulls continued to fall back in the fourth quarter behind DeRozan and Vučević, and a strong effort from Patrick Williams in the game, 10 points and seven rebounds starting with LaVine’s absence. Williams’ three brought the Bulls within 98-95 with 4:33 left.
Earlier, White had a chance to tie the game with a three with 6:15 left and the Bulls trailed 95-92. But the Thunder seemed to score at every crucial moment. A trapped Gilgeous-Alexander found a cutting Holmgren for a basket after that Williams triple. And then, when the Bulls passed as the clock expired on the shot clock turnover, Gilgeous-Alexander scored on a drive. And after a few Thunder free throws matched the Bulls’ scoring efforts, Joe closed out the game with this four-point play.
Thanks to the crafty Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder made 38 free throws compared to 17 for the Bulls, 13 for DeRozan. But just getting into the paint and fading in threes doesn’t get you to the line. The Bulls also haven’t disrupted their opponents as much lately with seven steals this time, although the Bulls had 25 points off 14 turnovers. Oklahoma City dominated 42-28 and made 12 blocks.
Is help on the way? Rookie Julian Phillips continued his hot play in the G League on Wednesday in a win at the Windy City. He is averaging 20.3 points and 12 rebounds, the latter tied for second in the league, and 47% from three in three games with the Windy City.
“They made more plays as time went on,” White said, “and we just didn’t make enough.”
Happy Thanksgiving, by the way. While this isn’t yet a season to be grateful for, it’s a game to still be grateful for. Gobble it up.
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