Rose returns, but Bulls lose
Turns out it doesn't matter if Derrick Rose is on the court or rehabbing his knee, the Bulls still are capable of losing to sub-.500 teams.
Rose returned Wednesday night after missing 20 games following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and he did fine. But the Bulls were stuck in the same old problems — blown lead, lack of intensity and soft defense when it mattered most.
Orlando's Victor Oladipo drove though the lane for a go-ahead lay-in with 1.5 seconds left and the Bulls lost to the Magic 105-103 at the Amway Center. This was the Bulls' 16th loss of the season to a team currently below .500. With a 25-53 record, the Magic isn't even close to playoff contention.
“It's a game we should have wanted 100 percent; 100 million times more than they did and they took it,” Pau Gasol said, according to bulls.com. “It's troubling, no question. This is a time you have to be sharp. You can't have these types of games.”
Oh, but they did. The Bulls (46-32) led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter. They seemed to be in command several times during the fourth quarter, especially after Nikola Mirotic's 3-pointer put the Bulls ahead 99-96 with 2:15 left.
But the Bulls gave up 5 points on Orlando's next two possessions. Gasol hit a tying lay-in but couldn't complete the 3-point play. After rookie Aaron Gordon hit a nice 10-foot pullup to put the Magic ahead 103-101 with 1:02 left, Gasol tied the score by hitting 2 free throws with 6.5 seconds left.
The Magic cleared out for Oladipo, who got past Jimmy Butler and eluded Joakim Noah's attempt to slide over for help. The layup put Orlando ahead, and the Bulls couldn't execute a lob inbounds to Gasol on the other end.
“We've got to keep the ball in front,” coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters. “That's what they do. That's their strength. The times we did defend them well, the rebounding wasn't there.
“Teams in this league are all good. This team just won two games in a row. If you're a pro, you're a good player.”
Rose's return does provide some hope that things will get better for the Bulls. He finished with 9 points, 4 turnovers, 2 assists and 2 rebounds in 19:24 of playing time. Rose hit 3 of 9 shots from the field, going 1-for-6 from 3-point range.
“I feel good. I didn't feel any discomfort at all,” said Rose, who suggested he will play again Thursday in Miami. “It's going to take some time, but I'll get there.”
Rose played well in the first quarter, when he scored 5 points, pushed the pace and hit his first 3-point attempt of the night. Rose didn't play during the game's final 17 minutes.
“Very hard (to watch),” he said. “At the same time, it's all about patience. I know I'll have my time. The only thing I can do is sit back, watch and learn.”
The loss dropped the Bulls back into the No. 4 seed in the East. They are tied with Toronto in the standings, but the Raptors will win a tiebreaker because they're a division champ and the Bulls are not. Both teams have four games left in the regular season.
Even more alarming is the Bulls are just 1 game ahead of fifth-place Washington and would lose a tiebreaker with the Wizards if the teams finish with the same record. That means the Bulls are in danger of not even having homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Winning their remaining games will solve most concerns. But Rose's presence didn't solve anything on this night.
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