Foul trouble, pump fakes result in another close loss by Bulls
Justin Holiday took the floor at the United Center on Friday with a completely new look, braided hair and a headband, something he'd never done before with the Bulls. It was like he dressed as ex-Bull Eddie Robinson for Halloween or something.
The Bulls found themselves in another nail-biter against the Indiana Pacers. Trailing by 2 in the final seconds, Zach LaVine missed a tough baseline jumper and Wendell Carter Jr. tapped the rebound out to Holiday, who was standing at the 3-point line.
Holiday let it fly for the lead, but the ball bounced off the rim. The Bulls got another offensive rebound, but Antonio Blakeney was surrounded and had a desperation attempt blocked at the buzzer, giving Indiana a 107-105 victory.
"Of course I thought it was going down," Holiday said. "I couldn't believe the ball bounced to me. I was, 'Oh yeah, it's over.' Some fall and some don't."
Regarding his new look, Holiday said the headband and hairstyle went hand-in-hand.
"It went with the hair," he said. "If I had my Afro, I wouldn't wear a headband. I don't think it would look good that way. It just made my hair look a little better, that's about it. I haven't thought about whether I'll keep it. I'm still wishing I made that shot."
Indiana's game-winning shot came on a 16-foot jumper by Darren Collison with 17.8 seconds left. Two days earlier, they lost by a point to Denver when Paul Millsap banked in a putback with 0.5 seconds on the clock.
"We've just got to find a way to make one more play," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said.
The Bulls got off to a great start in this one, leading 37-22 after the first quarter, but foul trouble killed their momentum a few times.
Carter scored 9 points in the opening six minutes, then barely played the rest of the first half after getting his second and third fouls. Hoiberg dusted off Robin Lopez, who hadn't played in the previous five games, for a short stint in the second quarter.
Then after the Bulls started the fourth quarter with a 19-5 run, Zach LaVine was called for his fifth foul and went to the bench with 6:04 remaining. It was a relatively mundane play, with LaVine trying to work around a Myles Turner screen on the perimeter.
The Bulls led 99-92 at the time and the Pacers (6-3) were able to turn the tables, rolling up an 11-0 run with LaVine and Carter on the bench.
But the Bulls kept battling and tied the game on a timely 4-point play by Blakeney, who finished with a career-high and team-best 22 points. Blakeney had just entered the game when he tied the score with 30.5 seconds on the clock.
"The play was for Zach and he kind of picked his dribble up, so I jut sprinted to the ball," Blakeney said. "Always confidence, always just trying to bring the juice off the bench."
When Blakeney knocked down his first 3-point attempt of the night, he had knocked down 10 of his last 12 shots from long range. He finished the game 3-for-5 from behind the arc.
"I thought we came out of the gate with unbelievable energy," Hoiberg said. "I'm proud of the guys for stepping up and playing with that kind of grit coming out of the locker room. That's how it's got to be every night."
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls
Scouting report
Bulls vs. Houston Rockets at United Center, 7 p.m.
TV: WGN • Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Outlook: Last year's MVP, SG James Harden, has missed the past three games with a hamstring injury but is hoping to return in this game. With and without Harden, the Rockets have been reeling, with a 1-5 record heading into Friday's game at Brooklyn. Harden averaged 28.5 points and 9 assists in the four games he did play, while PG Chris Paul is at 19 points and 8.3 rebounds. Defense has been a problem, but Houston's offense is worse, ranking 29th in field-goal percentage (. 412) and 26th in points (105.8). Paul, Eric Gordon and newcomer Carmelo Anthony are all shooting below 40 percent. The Bulls have dropped four in a row against the Rockets.
Next: New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Monday, 6:30 p.m.
- Mike McGraw