Bulls come up short against Pistons |
DETROIT - Looking to make it two consecutive victories, the Chicago Bulls (21-29) traveled to the Motor City to take on the Detriot Pistons (25-24) at Little Ceasars Arena. Detroit has been one of the more surprising teams this season, as this is the latest they have been above the .500 mark in a season in over six years, and they remain right in the thick of the playoff picture.
Basketball can be a funny game, but it is also a four-quarter game where you could make the case that the Bulls handled the Pistons for three quarters. Handled may not be the word to use, but Chicago did manage to outscore the Pistons in three of the four quarters, including the opening quarter, in which the Bulls led 35-30. Their issue was the second quarter, which has been a struggle for the Bulls at times. The Pistons came out and delivered one of their best quarters overall of the season. Not only did the Pistons drop 34 points on the offensive end, but defensively, they held Chicago to just 19 points. That was ultimately the difference in the game, as the Bulls were unable to battle back and fell to Detroit 127-119. Chicago lost more than just the game on Sunday. Later, it was reported that Zach Lavine was traded to Sacramento as part of a three-team deal. That deal will be discussed later, but it's a clear indication that the Bulls are finally committed to rebuilding this roster. With Lavine no longer on this team, Chicago will have to figure out where their scoring will come from, and Coby White will be the one to deliver. White is the final non-Arturas Karnisovas piece remaining on the roster, and it makes you wonder if he will be one of the pieces dealt with by the deadline. If that does happen, he is, at the very least, increasing his trade value as he dropped a team-high 22 points despite a rough shooting night. White was one of three starters to drop 20 or more points, as the offense wasn't an issue for the Bulls. Another player whose name has been in trade talks since the start of the season is the big man Nikola Vucevic, whose days on the Bulls may be coming to an end. If that is the case, Vooch went out and delivered another big game, scoring 20 points with 11 boards and 10 assists for his first triple-double of the season. That looks more like a Josh Giddey line than a Vucevic line. Speaking of Giddey, he also finished with 20 points, adding 10 rebounds. While those three were the keys to the Bulls offensive success, all five starters landed in double figures, with two additional players off the bench coming through. Chicago also had Lonzo Ball finish with 13 points, Ayo Dosunmu, and his 14 points as they rounded out the starting five. Regarding the bench, Matas Buzelis continued to go about his business with 12 more points as Patrick Williams and his 11 joined him. Both Buzelis and Williams have been on a role in their past few games, and given the potential trades coming, both could see more minutes once the deadline passes. When it comes to the Pistons, this has been arguably the worst franchise in the game for the past five years, and it has gotten to the point of wondering how long it will take to turn them around. You have seen some signs of that this season as the Pistons are starting to look like a playoff-caliber team, which would be a massive win for this organization. Having a player like Cade Cunningham will certainly help change the course of your franchise, as the former No.1 overall pick led the Pistons with 22 points and 15 assists. Like the Bulls, all five of the Pistons starters finished in double figures, which included another strong game from Jalen Duran, who added 21 points and 13 boards for another double-double. Detroit also saw Tobias Harris pick up 16 points for one of his better games in a while, with Tim Hardaway Jr and Ausar Thompson rounding out the starting five with 12 points. Not only did the Pistons, starting five go toe-to-toe with the Bulls, but their bench also showed up, as it was their bench that outscored the Bulls in this one. That was a big reason the Pistons managed to grab the lead before holding onto it, as Malik Beasley came through with a massive 19-point night in 28 minutes off the bench. Detroit also saw Simone Fontecchio add 11 points off the bench as they picked up a huge win to move above the .500 mark.
MASSIVE FOURTH PUSHES RIP CITY PASSED WINDY CITY
Like their parent club, the Windy City Bulls (5-10) have also entered a stretch where wins are tough to come by. A big reason for that is their struggles away from NOW Arena, as they are just 1-6 away from home. That included another loss on Sunday, where they fell to the Rip City Remix (6-6).
This was another game in which the Bulls seemed to have control most of the night. They led by two at the break before pushing their lead to six entering the fourth. That is when the Remix took over, and they used a massive fourth quarter to erase that deficit and hold on for the win. EJ Liddell led the way for Windy City, finishing with 26 points.
Adama Sanogo joined him by putting up his second straight massive game to finish with 23 points and eight boards. Emanuel Miller added 15 points, and Ben Coupet Jr came away with 15 points off the bench to pace the Bulls. Rip City was led by a plethora of scoring options, including Jabari Walker, who matched Liddell with a game-high 26 points and added 12 boards.
Like Windy City, Rip City had plenty of scoring options, with Bryce McGowens scoring 23 points and Rayan Rupert and former Bull Henri Drell adding 17. The Remix also benefited from Alex Reese's 18 points off the bench to help secure the win.
