Bulls can't find any offense in loss to Charlotte
This game was billed as "Star Wars" Night at the United Center. Turned out it was actually "I Love the '90s" Night.
The defensive slugfest between the Bulls and Charlotte Hornets was much more grunge than hyperdrive, more Dr. Evil than Baby Yoda; more Riley-era Knicks than Splash Brothers.
This was a throwback game if there ever was one, except for the part where the Bulls dominated the NBA. Style-wise, it fit the 1990s mold with the low score and defensive dominance.
The Bulls were in the game, 66-64 with five minutes left, but faded to an 83-73 loss on Friday. The Bulls scored the fewest points in the NBA this season (the previous low was 79 by Golden State) and this was the lowest-scoring game of the year by a wide margin.
"We couldn't make a shot," said Zach LaVine, who finished with 12 points on 4 of 19 shooting. "When you can't make shots, that's the main thing in the game. You've got to put some points on the board. It was rough."
The Bulls shot an even 30 percent from the field and went 7-for-34 from 3-point range (20.6 percent). Charlotte wasn't much better at 38 percent overall. Trailing 44-40 at halftime, the Bulls scored a dismal 10 points in the third quarter.
"I looked up at the scoreboard, I was like 'Oh (expletive), it's going to be a low-scoring game,'" Thad Young said. "It's two teams trying to battle it out. The early lead kind of got us a little bit and we couldn't bounce back."
There were plenty of complaints about the ugliness of this contest. But if anyone still appreciates good defense, this game had plenty of that.
One bright spot for the Bulls was their defense didn't let up while the offense was laying bricks. During the fourth quarter, the Bulls held Charlotte to 5 points in a 7-minute span.
A Kris Dunn jumper in the lane brought the Bulls within 66-64 with 5:54 left. The Bulls got a defensive stop and had a chance to tie, but LaVine missed a 20-foot jumper and the Bulls' luck ran out.
On consecutive possessions, the Bulls turned it over and gave up 3-pointers on the other end to Hornets guards Devonte Graham (16 points) and Terry Rozier. Suddenly, Charlotte led by 8 with 3:58 left and the Bulls didn't have enough offense to overcome that deficit.
After the game, there were questions about why Lauri Markkanen (10 points) sat for so long in the second half, but the answer was obvious. The Bulls made that fourth quarter run with Young, Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Gafford on the floor, so coach Jim Boylen stuck with the lineup that was working.
When Charlotte pushed ahead, Markkanen, Tomas Satoransky and Wendell Carter Jr. went back in the game, but it hardly mattered. The Hornets deserve credit for being in the right spots defensively. The Bulls missed plenty of open shots, but had others altered by Charlotte's Bismack Biyombo or Miles Bridges.
"I didn't think overall that first group was great," Boylen said. "Overall, that first group was not good. So Archie played well, I thought he was into the game, he kind of found his shot, found his rhythm, so we let Archie roll a little bit. That's going to happen. You're trying to put guys in there that can help you make a run, get back in the game."
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls
Scouting report
Bulls vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 7 p.m. at the United Center
TV: NBCSCH • Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Outlook: It's tough to tell which players will suit up for the Clippers in this one. Guards Patrick Beverley (concussion) and Lou Williams (hamstring) were listed as out for Friday's game at Minnesota, while Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were expected to play. Leonard typically does not play both games of back-to-back sets, while George has played in every game since making his Clippers debut on Nov. 14. ... Heading into Friday's action, the Clippers had won three in a row and 12 of their last 14. ... Leonard is averaging 24.9 ppg and George 23.2. PF Montrezl Harrell is contributing 18.7 ppg off the bench. ... The Bulls have lost seven straight against the Clippers, three in a row at home.
Next: Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday 7 p.m. at Chesapeake Energy Arena
- Mike McGraw