Shorthanded Bulls can't stick with Miami
A depressing reality seems to be setting in with the Bulls: If they don't get healthy soon, they have no chance of making the playoffs.
Derrick Rose joined the injured list once again Friday against Miami. Rose suffered a groin injury Thursday night while playing against San Antonio. Top scorer Jimmy Butler sat out for the 14th time in 15 games with a sore left knee.
Without their starting backcourt, the Bulls were competitive against the Heat, but fell apart in the fourth quarter and lost 118-96 at the United Center. The Bulls trailed by 3 points with 8:27 remaining.
“I think we are competing for the most part,” Pau Gasol said quietly in the locker room. “We're trying hard. Guys are doing their best. At the end of the day, we're playing some good teams that are in a good rhythm, that are healthier than us. Especially in the fourth quarters, we can't keep up.”
It was a similar story against the Spurs on Thursday. With Rose in the lineup, the Bulls kept it close until midway through the fourth quarter, but turned the ball over in key situations.
Against Miami, the Bulls turned it over five times in seven possessions to spark the Heat's rapid-fire 22-2 run. Rookie guard Josh Richardson scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, while former Bull Luol Deng had 10. Those two combined to hit 6 straight 3-point shots.
“You try to squeeze through small spaces,” coach Fred Hoiberg said of the Bulls' turnovers. “They converge, they have good hands, they're strong and physical. You can't put yourself in that position. You've got to value the possession.”
With the loss, the Bulls fell back to .500 at 32-32. They are currently out of the playoff picture in ninth place, a half-game behind Detroit.
“I still feel we have more than enough to win,” Taj Gibson said. “I still feel we have a good team. We have 18 more games left. Hopefully we get everybody back on the same page, everybody's back together. It's do or die.”
Gasol just missed a triple-double, finishing with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists. He's handling the ball more in recent days, though, and has become turnover prone. Gasol had 6 giveaways on Friday and 7 against San Antonio.
“The turnovers, I'll take some responsibility for them. We have to make it a little simpler,” Gasol said. “At this point, nothing's going to come easy. We have to have as many healthy bodies as possible. Hopefully, some of our main guys will be able to play soon to make a push.”
The good news is both Rose and Butler could be back as soon as Monday when the Bulls visit Toronto.
“That's the plan right now, give it these two days, lift, whatever they want me to do,” Rose said before the contest. “And then when Monday comes if I feel good, I'll play.”
The Bulls were 10 game above .500 on Jan. 8 and seemed likely to get one of the top seeds in the East. But not much has gone right since then, beginning with Joakim Noah's season-ending shoulder injury a week later.
“It is what it is,” Rose said. “It's not like guys are trying to get injured. We're trying our hardest to make the playoffs right now, make a run for it. So the way that we're playing, I guess injuries are going to come.”
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