Discouraging stat: Bulls 2-8 since D-Rose got hurt
Another Bulls loss could be accurately summarized with one common phrase from coach Tom Thibodeau:
“We want to be a 48-minute team.”
The Bulls played well enough to win against New York on Wednesday, except for that 19-0 run by the Knicks to open the second quarter.
After erasing a 23-point deficit, the Bulls went cold down the stretch and came up short 83-78 at Madison Square Garden. The Bulls (8-12) dropped to 2-8 since Derrick Rose went out with a knee injury.
The injury list looked like this Wednesday: Joakim Noah played after sitting out the previous night with a knee bruise. He logged 37 minutes in his hometown, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Luol Deng (sore left Achilles) and Jimmy Butler (turf toe) sat out.
According to multiple reports, the Bulls reached an agreement to sign point guard D.J. Augustin, who cleared waivers. Augustin was released by Toronto to make room for the players acquired from Sacramento in the Rudy Gay trade. Augustin may be in uniform when the Bulls play at Milwaukee on Friday.
Against New York, the Bulls used an 18-2 run in the fourth quarter to tie the score, holding the Knicks to a single basket over seven minutes.
Noah tipped in a Marquis Teague driving miss with 3:37 left to tie the score at 74-74. They trailed 64-41 after a J.R. Smith 3-pointer with 5:54 left in the third quarter.
“The fight is good and we’re capable of doing better,” Thibodeau told reporters after the contest. “The important thing for us to understand is every game is winnable.”
The Bulls got back into the game using a lineup of Noah, Teague, Mike Dunleavy (20 points), Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson. Thibodeau stuck with the guys who brought the Bulls even, but that group struggled to score down the stretch.
They got the ball back while the score was tied, but Noah lost the ball in the lane. After Amare Stoudemire knocked down the go-ahead jumper with 2:35 left, Dunleavy missed a 3-pointer, Teague couldn’t finish a driving reverse, then the Bulls lost the ball out of bounds on a questionable call.
Trailing by 4 in the final minute, the Bulls ran down the shot clock and could only manage a forced 3-point air ball by Dunleavy.
“The defense and the rebounding were good,” Thibodeau said. “Covering the 3-point line was very good. The turnovers (23), we’ve got to correct that.
“We’ve always been a low turnover team. That’s what I expect from us. Part of the problem is we have a lot of moving parts. So you’ve got guys who are not used to playing with each other. But we can’t use that as an excuse.”