Bulls run out of gas against Grizzlies |
MEMPHIS - Before we get into the game last night, I want to congratulate Lebron James for becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer. Love him or hate him, that is an accomplishment that many people thought would never be broken, and now most of us had a chance to witness it.
Now getting back to the game that matters for Bulls' fans. Playing without your best player is hard enough, but when facing one of the best teams in the Western Conference without your best, you're immediately faced with an uphill battle. That is what the Chicago Bulls (26-28) were up against on Tuesday as Demar DeRozan was sidelined with hip soreness. That meant Chicago would have to knock off the Memphis Grizzlies (33-21) without their leading scorer, and we know how that often ends. Early on, the loss of Derozan was evident as the Bulls struggled to get much of anything going on the offensive end in the first quarter. They were held to just 14 points, and this game had an early feel of being a blowout loss. Then came the second and third quarters, where the Bulls not only battled, but managed to take the lead in the third following a 36-23 quarter. Despite hanging tough for much of the game, this was the second night of a back-to-back, and as the fourth quarter went on, you could see the fatigue setting in. Not only were the Bulls held 14 points in a quarter for the second time, but their defense allowed 32 over those final 12 minutes as the Grizzlies capitalized on the fatigued Bulls 104-89. Without Derozan, the Bulls big three was down to two, with both of those guys coming up huge. Nikola Vucevic has been on quite a run over the past month, and that run continued on Tuesday. The big man not only led the way for Chicago with 28 points, but hauled in 17 rebounds for an impressive double-double performance. He was joined by Zach Lavine and his 24 points as they gave the Bulls a shot at a huge win. Apart from them, the offense was tough to come by, but that shouldn't be a surprise when you look at how good the Grizzlies have been defensively this season. Ayo Dosunmu did his best to pick up the slack with 14 points, but when Alex Caruso (2) and Patrick Williams (9) combine for just 11 points, it makes things very difficult on the floor. The Grizzlies have been one of the biggest surprises in the league this season, but it has come with a bit of disrespect. According to Ja Morant, the Grizzlies feel they are the most hated team in the league for whatever reason, but have started to embrace that role. Their success will always fall at the feet of Morant, who finished the game with a game-high 34 points. He also added six rebounds and seven assists as he showed off his entire arsenal. Backing Morant and delivering a big game of his own was Jaren Jackson Jr, who continues to do all the dirty work. He chipped in with 24 points, but didn't offer much of anything else apart from that. Desmond Bane also came up huge several times as he gave the Grizzlies three starters in double figures and finished with 17 points. Like the Bulls, Memphis also had a pair of starters who struggled, but their bench was more consistent when it came to adding production. Brandon Clarke led the way for that second unit as he was the fourth double-digit scorer of the game. Clarke finished with 13 points and hauled in 13 boards for an impressive double-double. Santi Aldama added five points and were the only two players to score off the bench in the win. Without knowing the status of Derozan and that hip, the Bulls need a short memory as they will look to bounce back on Thursday against the new-look Brooklyn Nets. Remember that that is also the NBA trade deadline, as there could be several faces moving on to new places.
