McGraw: Leading by 19, it all falls apart for Bulls
This was one of those games, even if you didn't blink, you still were wondering what the heck just happened.
Playing the second night of a back-to-back at Detroit on Saturday, the Bulls had a great second quarter and pulled ahead 72-53 on a Pau Gasol jumper with 6:58 left in the third.
What happened next is difficult to explain. The Bulls just stopped playing. They might as well have marched off the bench onto the team bus.
The Bulls were outscored 52-13 over the next 18 minutes or so. A No. 16 NCAA Tournament seed might have done better.
After a couple of good home wins, the Bulls went back to their inconsistent selves and lost 107-91 to a Pistons team that had lost 11 of its previous 12 games.
"We're up 19, all we've got to do is play good defense, be solid. It didn't happen," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters after the game, according to csnchicago.com. "In this league, you think a game's over with a lead like that. It's not. With the 3-point shot and the way the clock works in this league, no lead is safe."
Playing short-handed was no excuse on this night. Sure, the Bulls still are missing top scorers Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose. But Detroit also was missing its top two scorers, Brandon Jennings and Greg Monroe.
Heading into this game, it was reasonable to think the Bulls might be able to make a run at catching Cleveland for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The remaining Bulls schedule isn't all that difficult, and they get one more chance to play the Cavs on April 5 in Cleveland.
But they won't move up with losses like this. In fact, the Bulls dropped back into fourth place behind Toronto with Saturday's result.
The Bulls trailed 30-20 after one quarter, before the reserves brought some life. Taj Gibson, in his second game back from a sprained left ankle, scored 3 straight baskets at one point and the Bulls moved out to a 56-44 lead at halftime.
Everything started well for the Bulls in the third quarter. But after opening the 19-point lead, a few small mistakes helped slow the momentum. With the lead at 19, Joakim Noah grabbed a defensive rebound and tried to take off on the break but lost the ball in traffic, which led to a Caron Butler 3-pointer.
Noah missed a lay-in and turned to the referee looking for a foul while Detroit pushed the ball upcourt and scored on a Reggie Jackson layup. No worries, the lead was still 14.
Then Noah missed a pair of free throws, Jackson drove the lane for an emphatic dunk, and suddenly the Pistons had life. Detroit ended up hitting 11 consecutive shots to take the lead before the third quarter ended.
The Bulls were even at 83-83 early in the fourth, then went scoreless for the next seven minutes.
"A lot of sloppy play, turnovers. We have to play smart basketball," Noah said after the game. "We were tired. When you're tired, you've got to be smart. I've got to play better."
Pau Gasol led the Bulls with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Aaron Brooks added 19. But too many scorers had off-nights. Nikola Mirotic and Tony Snell both hit 1 of 8 shots, while Mike Dunleavy went 3-for-10.
Even though the Bulls were playing for the second straight night, Thibodeau shortened the rotation to eight players, largely ignoring Doug McDermott, E'Twaun Moore or Nazr Mohammad until garbage time.
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