Another bad third quarter extends Chicago Bulls' losing skid
While the Bulls started playing better in December, there still was a steep, imposing mountain looming in the distance.
The schedule was about to get a lot tougher and it has turned into a problem. The Bulls dropped their fifth straight game Wednesday night, losing 123-108 to the New Orleans Pelicans.
In 4 of these 5 losses, the Bulls have been outplayed and outscored in the third quarter, and this game set a new low. The score was 48-48 at halftime, then New Orleans rolled up a 44-27 advantage in the third and the Bulls couldn't recover.
The reasons for the third-quarter fade seem fairly obvious. The Bulls are a hardworking team with limited talent, depth and experience. When that energy begins to wane and the opponents turn up the pressure, the Bulls can't keep up.
"We started out the third quarter pretty good," coach Jim Boylen told reporters after the game. "We took the lead and made some shots and then it flipped on us and we didn't respond very well. I think some of it's energy. I think some of it is our aggressiveness. I think some of it's poor offensive execution."
The Bulls' defensive system is predicated on playing with high energy. They try to trap the ball on screen-and-rolls, then count on the other three players on the floor to scramble out to cover open shooters, without giving up a path to the basket. The Bulls couldn't keep the shooters covered in this game, and the Pelicans went 15-for-44 from 3-point land (34.1 percent).
"Teams are making adjustments. We've got to be able to adjust with them," Bulls guard Kris Dunn said. "Today, credit New Orleans. They made adjustments to our defense, and at the same time it's our fault. We've got to be able to see what they're doing. We just couldn't get a grasp of it. This is the NBA; once guys get going, it's hard to stop their rhythm."
The Pelicans (13-25) got off to a slow start this season but have now won seven of their last nine games. Their defense got much better when center Derrick Favors and point guard Lonzo Ball got healthy. On Wednesday, the Bulls couldn't stop forward Brandon Ingram, who finished with 29 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds.
Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 32 points. Thaddeus Young got his first start of the year and scored a season-high 18 points. Dunn finished with 15 points, 7 assists and 5 steals, while Lauri Markkanen added 14.
Center Wendell Carter Jr. didn't play and is likely to miss a few weeks with a sprained right ankle suffered in Monday's loss at Dallas. Down another starter, the Bulls didn't have much left on the bench.
"Our best defensive player didn't play tonight," Boylen said. "I thought some of the newness and youngness and different lineups weighed on us a little bit. But I thought they outplayed us in the third and that was the difference in the game."
The Bulls will have another set of back-to-back games this weekend to try to end the losing streak. They'll host Indiana on Friday and visit Detroit on Saturday.
"It's starting to get repetitive," Dunn said. "Keep saying it, saying it, saying it. It's going to get to a time, are we going to do something about it? We still have a chance to be in the race for the playoffs and it's got to mean something to this locker room. We've just got to be better. We've got to have a sense of urgency."
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