They’re not going to have an easy time getting wins, especially with Lonzo Ball still absent from the defensive backcourt. The Bulls cannot defend against elite offensive teams and are still finding out how best to address issues at the point of attack. But the bad outweighs the good right now. The good news is that second-year forward Patrick Williams could be nearing a return, shortly after Caruso rejoined the team. This is a precarious position for the Bulls. About four weeks later, the Bulls have fallen to the No. Sliding all the way to the play-in? Alex Caruso #6 of the Chicago Bulls looks on during the second half of a game against the Utah Jazz on Ma| Alex Goodlett/Getty ImagesĬhicago went into the All-Star break with the same record as the No. The repeated defensive shortcomings and ongoing slide in the conference standings paint a dire picture for the Bulls. Yet, these problems have existed for the better part of the season, and Chicago has failed to scheme accordingly. Alex Caruso, who has demonstrated his quality as a clear defensive standout, left Nickeil Alexander-Walker wide open for an open corner three-pointer on an inbounds play because he was too busy complaining to officials.Īt some point, the Bulls have to make adjustments. Some possessions showed downright laziness. The Bulls could not recover or figure out their rotations, contributing to numerous open looks from the perimeter. Nikola Vucevic began to hedge too long on pick-and-roll, and the Jazz responded by finding short rolls and sparking ball movement. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago) that the inability to stop Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson from steamrolling to the bucket contributed to bad trapping and poor rotations. Billy Donovan said after the game (h/t K.C. Gobert repeatedly sealed on-ball defenders as the screener, allowing Conley to get into the paint at will and forcing help defenders to cut off drives, which then led to numerous open three-point attempts.ĭribble drives also proved problematic. The Bulls could not slow the Mike Conley-Rudy Gobert pick-and-roll. Still, the continued collapse in the fourth quarter highlighted persistent problems in Chicago’s defensive scheme. He showed little hesitation off the dribble and got into a nice groove. Johnson March 17, 2022Īs previously noted, the Bulls could not have prevented some of Donovan Mitchell’s triples. Said that led to trapping and poor rotations for open 3-point shots or fouls.- K.C. Chicago plagued by the same defensive shortcomingsĭonovan rightly pointed out Bulls' inability to control dribble penetration, particularly from Clarkson and Mitchell. Utah put the game to bed with a 14-0 run of its own. But the Bulls forgot how to get stops, let alone string them together. Spida ignited the Jazz out of the break, and the Bulls could not contain Utah in the final period.Ĭhicago appeared ready to make things tight after a 15-6 run cut the Jazz’s lead to just four points. Too often, however, Chicago gave him just enough space to get his jumper off, typically getting caught between playing drop coverage and hedging on screens. To his credit, the Bulls contested a couple of those triples. Mitchell went 7-of-9 from deep for the quarter. Most of them came from a red-hot Donovan Mitchell, who got in quite the rhythm from beyond the arc. However, the defensive effort slowly began to wane in the third quarter.Īlthough Chicago forced five more turnovers in the third period, Utah scored 35 points. Chicago forced nine turnovers, many of which led to fast-break points. Despite shooting 40% from the floor in the first half, the Bulls hung tight with the Jazz.
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