Wade scores 34, but Bulls lose to Portland
A little controversy didn't refocus the Chicago Bulls on Monday.
With Rajon Rondo sitting out with a one-game suspension, the Bulls faded down the stretch and lost to Portland 112-110 at the United Center.
More than the loss of Rondo, this was a night when it seemed like the burden on Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler was too great. Wade finished with 34 points, 1 off his season-high, and Butler scored 26, but those two combined to hit just 2 of 10 shots in the fourth quarter.
The Bulls (11-9) have lost three of their last four, with the lone victory against Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland. They'll finish a stretch of four games in five nights Tuesday at Detroit.
"The old saying is you're never as good as you think, you're never as bad as you think," Wade said. "But when you have a young team like we have, we do need guys to take better notes of their game, take better notes of their team, so we don't make these small mistakes. The margin is so small.
"It's my job and Jimmy's job to continue to stay on the young guys in the second unit to get better from the standpoint of knowing the game plan, learning it. We'll be better later."
Wade also collected his 5,000th career assist, becoming the 14th player in NBA history to record 20,000 points and 5,000 assists. Guard Damien Lillard led Portland with 30 points.
The day began with unexpected news that guard Rajon Rondo was suspended for one game for conduct detrimental to the team. According to multiple reports, the penalty stemmed from a verbal altercation with assistant coach Jim Boylen during Saturday's loss at Dallas.
Coach Fred Hoiberg wouldn't confirm those details and emphasized that everything was fine moving forward. He expected Rondo to meet the team at the airport late Monday and return to the starting lineup Tuesday in Detroit.
Asked before the game if he feels good about his relationship with Rondo, Hoiberg answered, "Absolutely. I'm very confident in my relationship, had a great visit with Rajon (Sunday), talked to him again (by phone) this afternoon and look forward to see him tonight (on the flight)."
Jerian Grant started in Rondo's place. Coincidentally, Grant also started at Portland on Nov. 15 when Rondo was out with a sprained ankle. Grant scored 18 points in the first game, but didn't fare well in Monday's rematch, scoring just 5 points on 1 of 7 shooting.
Nikola Mirotic scored a season-high 18 points and snapped a string of 12 consecutive 3-point misses by knocking down his first attempt of the night. Guard Isaiah Canaan (10 points) stepped in for Grant down the stretch, but the Bulls could use another shooter. They went 7 for 23 from long range, with rookie Denzel Valentine at 0 for 5.
The Bulls dominated the free-throw attempts (38-18) and rebounds (50-38), but couldn't make enough shots down the stretch. They led 93-92 after a Wade free throw with 8:34 remaining. But while the Bulls missed their next 5 shots, Portland knocked down five straight in an 11-0 run. Chicago native Evan Turner scored 6 points and Lillard drilled a 3-pointer to make it 103-93 with 5:55 left.
The Bulls had the ball three times while trailing by 5, but couldn't capitalize and Butler's 3-pointer at the buzzer made the final margin seem closer.
"They just made more plays, obviously, than we did," Hoiberg said. "(Rondo) is obviously very important with what we do in this building. He's a guy that really establishes the tempo for our team, especially in the fourth quarter. But that's not the reason we lost the game tonight."
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Bulls game day
Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills, 6:30 p.m. tonight
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WLS 890-AM
Outlook: The Pistons (11-11) had won five of six games before losing at home Sunday to Orlando 98-92. That game was the season debut of PG Reggie Jackson, who had been out with knee tendinitis and scored 18 points in 23 minutes. With Jackson sidelined, SF Tobias Harris was Detroit's top scorer at 16.8 ppg, followed by SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (15.0) and PF Marcus Morris (14.3). C Andre Drummond, who had 33 points and 21 rebounds in that four overtime game against the Bulls last season, is averaging 14.1 points and 13.0 boards. The Pistons are second in the league in points allowed at 97 per game. The Bulls went 1-3 against Detroit last season, getting their win on the road.
Next: San Antonio Spurs at the United Center on Thursday, 8:30 p.m.
- Mike McGraw