Bulls start fast, but drop preseason opener
The Bulls' new "Three Alpha" lineup looked pretty good in its preseason debut. The "Beta" lineup remains an issue, however.
In the preseason opener against Milwaukee on Monday, the Bulls jumped to an early 14-3 advantage with Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo and Jimmy Butler taking the floor together for the first time.
When the subbing began, the lead disappeared quickly and the Bulls fell behind by as many as 15 points. The second string rallied at the end, but the Bulls lost 93-91 when Cristano Felicio missed a pair of free throws with 3.4 seconds on the clock.
The most glaring number on the stat sheet was 22 turnovers, including 5 by Rondo.
"Those just kill you," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "It puts your defense in jeopardy when you turn the ball over like that and you're playing on your heels. Again, it comes down to taking care of the basketball. That's been our biggest issue in practice, the turnovers. We've got to get that cleaned up."
The starters hit 6 of their first 8 shots to open the game. Hoiberg used Taj Gibson as the starting power forward on Monday. Gibson played well, producing 11 points and 12 rebounds in 22 minutes, but Hoiberg said he might look at someone different when the Bulls play at Indiana on Thursday.
As expected, Wade and Butler played the first half only. Wade logged just under 12 minutes and scored 6 points by hitting a pair of 3-point baskets. Wade shot a career-low 15.9 percent from behind the arc last season in Miami, but said Hoiberg is encouraging him to shoot the 3 whenever open.
"It's great to get out there in front of the fans for my first game, for me to be here my first moment getting in that starting lineup being called," Wade said, "I'm here from Chicago, Illinois - that felt great. All in all, overall good for us. There were a lot of things that the coaches can teach us on and we will learn."
This was Wade's first game in a Bulls uniform after 13 seasons in Miami. Before the game, Wade was the first player introduced and went with "from Chicago," as he forecast last week. Butler was the last player introduced, opting for "from Marquette" instead of "from Tomball (Tex.)."
Butler scored 13 points in 15 minutes, drawing fouls at a rapid rate and hitting 8 of 9 free-throw attempts. Besides the 5 turnovers, Rondo contributed 7 assists and 6 rebounds in 24 minutes.
Among the subs, Doug McDermott was the high scorer with 13 points, followed by Tony Snell with 10.
Nikola Mirotic had a rough night, hitting 1 of 7 shots from the field. Bobby Portis was 2 of 8 from the floor, but at least he grabbed 9 rebounds. Backup point guard Jerian Grant scored 7 points, but didn't look comfortable running the offense.
"Niko's had a great camp, he really has," Hoiberg said. He had his struggles tonight, I don't think there's any denying that, but he'll bounce back tomorrow with a great practice."
Rookie Denzel Valentine was the Bulls' best non-starter in the first half, showing some of the versatility that was his trademark in college. But the 6-5 swingman from Michigan State turned his left ankle while defending Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams in the third quarter and left the game. He finished with 4 points and 2 assists.
Inside the locker room, Valentine predicted he'd only need a couple days to recover from the ankle injury.
There was some curiosity before the game about what might happen during the national anthem, considering some of the passive gestures of protest in the NFL and college football.
The Bulls didn't do anything out of the ordinary. The Bucks stood with arms over teammates' shoulders, while many held their free hand over their hearts.
"I respect the players and whatever decision they make," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said before the contest. "I'm not sure what will happen, but I respect their right to express themselves. I believe in standing respectfully and honoring the national anthem."
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