Bulls' lack of bench strength continues
It's probably fair for the Chicago Bulls to chalk up Saturday's loss in Dallas as one of those nights when the schedule got the best of them.
They had to travel after Friday's impressive home win over Cleveland, and with Dwyane Wade staying home to rest, the Bulls fell behind 23-6 at the start and never recovered.
That said, the Bulls are still having bench problems. Nikola Mirotic, starting in place of Wade, didn't score against Dallas and even with ample playing time for the reserves, guard Isaiah Canaan was the only player to reach double figures with 10 points.
"I don't think anybody played well tonight," Jimmy Butler told reporters after the game." We didn't do what we were supposed to do on either end of the floor. We didn't play with energy on either end of the floor."
The lack of bench strength has been a persistent problem, though. Through Saturday's games, the Bulls starters rank fifth in the NBA in plus-minus, while the team is 26th in bench points per game.
Mirotic is languishing in another one of those head-scratching valleys. During the last five games, he's averaged 5 points, shot 27 percent from the field and is 2-for-16 from 3-point range.
Canaan has been fairly consistent in producing 6 to 10 points per game, but he's shot a disappointing 30 percent from the 3-point line. In the last five games, Canaan has gone 5-for-23 from long distance.
The next most productive player among the healthy reserves is Bobby Portis, averaging 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds. He has one double-figure scoring game all season, which happened the first time the Bulls laid an egg on the second half of a back-to-back at Indiana on Nov. 5.
Jerian Grant hasn't done much outside of the two games he started in place of Rajon Rondo. Rookie Denzel Valentine's season-high is 8 points. Valentine, Grant, Portis and Mirotic are all young players with plenty to learn about NBA defense.
"(I have) a lot of confidence in the young guys," Butler said in Dallas, according to bulls.com. "But I think they need to have more confidence in themselves than we can put in them. That's all it comes down to. We have some really good players, but they have to believe it first before anyone else can. We need everybody."
In this case, everybody means Doug McDermott and Michael Carter-Williams, two of the most productive reserves, who have been sidelined by injuries.
Coach Fred Hoiberg mentioned a scenario where McDermott, out since Nov. 12 with a concussion, gets a couple practices with the Windy City Bulls and could potentially return later in the week. Carter-Williams is due to have a cast removed from his left wrist this week, so his return may be close.
"Those guys are key pieces to our bench," Hoiberg said. "Sure, those guys being out has affected our bench. We have to keep fighting, keep battling, regroup, get ready for this upcoming back to back."
The Bulls will finish a set of four games in five nights by hosting Portland on Monday, then traveling to Detroit on Tuesday.
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Bulls game day
Bulls vs. Portland Trail Blazers at the United Center, 7 p.m. Monday
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WLS 890-AM
Outlook: The Bulls opened the circus road trip with an impressive 113-88 victory in Portland. Since getting off to a good start, the Blazers (11-10) have lost four of their last five road games. PG Damien Lillard is averaging 27.8 points, sixth best in the league, while SG C.J. McCollum is at 21.9 ppg. After that, the scoring drops to SF Mo Harkless at 13.1 ppg. Portland ranks fourth in the NBA in points scored (110.2) and 28th in points allowed (112.5). The Blazers won at the United Center last season.
Next: Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
- Mike McGraw