Bulls trying to find their rhythm
The Bulls accomplished the first step toward turning their season around: Finally getting everyone healthy (besides Derrick Rose, of course).
But fielding a full lineup doesn’t automatically mean they’ll play well, as evidenced by Tuesday’s 85-79 home loss to Toronto.
The Bulls led by 5 heading into the fourth quarter, then hit 4 of 24 shots during an ugly final 12 minutes.
It was just the second time this season the Bulls used a starting lineup of Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Jimmy Butler, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. Coach Tom Thibodeau talked about that as something to build on.
“We have to get where everyone’s comfortable playing with each other,” Thibodeau said. “I like that we do have everyone back. I think it gives us a baseline, gives us something to work on. I thought we did some good things.”
Deng was back after missing nine of the previous 12 games with a sore left Achilles. Butler and Hinrich returned last week after sitting out with injuries.
“It’s just getting our rhythm. We’ve shown there are games we can score,” Deng said after the game. “We’ve shown when we’re healthy we move the ball and play well. I just thought tonight we were out of rhythm a little bit. I was definitely out of rhythm.”
Ball movement was an issue against the Raptors. The Bulls collected 16 assists, well below their season average of 21.6.
But shooting in general was a problem. Hinrich was 1-for-9 from the field, Boozer 1-for-8 and Noah 2-for-10. The Bulls made just 2 of 9 shots from 3-point range. On nights like this, it’s easy to wonder if the Bulls have enough offensive weapons or outside shooters to win consistently without Rose.
“I don’t think there really is a problem offensively,” Butler said. “I think if we keep taking the shots that we’re taking they’re going to fall. I feel like everyone’s taking the right shots.”
Deng is averaging a career-high 19.4 points, so once he gets comfortable on the court again it will help the offense. He said he felt good physically while playing 33½ minutes Tuesday.
The Bulls need to figure out how to get Boozer scoring again. He averaged 13.5 points and shot 41 percent from the field in December.
The Bulls have three more home games to try to figure things out, beginning Thursday against Boston. Toronto has gone 8-3 since trading Rudy Gay, so that game wasn’t necessarily a bad loss.
“We’ve got to get going now, now that we’ve got guys healthy,” Deng said. “There’s been a lot of up and down this year. It’s still a long season. We have to get our rhythm right, keep practicing and get going.”
mmcgraw@dailyherald.com