The Chicago Bulls are capable of anything. And, no, that isn’t always a good thing.
Three games after shockingly beating the defending champions on the road in a valiant effort, the Bulls forked over 50 points to the Atlanta Hawks in the 4th quarter and blew a 17-point lead. Their defense is now responsible for two of the top three highest-scoring quarters in the NBA this season.
1. BOS 51 PTS in 2nd Quarter vs. LAC on Nov. 25 2. ATL 50 PTS in 4th Quarter vs. CHI on Dec. 26 3. CLE 49 PTS in 1st Quarter vs. CHI on Nov. 15
Tough look.
© Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images The Bulls were up 124-107 with 6:32 left to go on Thursday night. The Hawks proceeded to string together a 34-9 run to close things out and grab the 141-133 victory. Was it an impressive comeback from Atlanta? Of course. But it was an even more embarrassing collapse from Chicago’s defense. They suddenly looked like a group of 5th graders playing the high school varsity team. The Hawks either ran past them or over them on every trip down the floor. The Bulls’ transition defense was a catastrophe, as Atlanta stacked wide-open threes to begin the comeback. Whether it was doubling Trae Young to set up the uncontested Dyson Daniels bucket or Jevon Carter dropping way too low to allow an easy pull-up jumper, no one looked like they knew where to be or who to cover. The free throw discrepancy in the final frame was also shocking. Atlanta went 15-17 from the charity stripe compared to the Bulls – *checks notes again* – 0-0 performance! They didn’t look the slightest bit interested in matching the ramped-up physicality, and this translated to cleaning the glass. The Hawks won the rebounding battle 14-3 in the 4th quarter, which included a 6-1 advantage in the offensive rebounding department. You came into the night knowing that the Hawks have the 7th-highest OREB% in the league and shoot the second-most FTAs per game. How can you look so unprepared when this is what they begin to lean on in crunch time? ESPN’s algorithm forgot to factor in one critical thing: It’s the Chicago Bulls!With 6:32 to go, Bulls were up 17 with a 99.4% chance to winHawks finish game on a 34-9 run pic.twitter.com/cXcEUmgmog
— Will Gottlieb (@Will_Gottlieb) December 27, 2024 At least that game provided us with a couple of silver linings. First of all, Coby White may have finally broken out of his slump. He recorded 23+ points for the first time since Nov. 18 and also shot 8-13 from the field, which was his best shooting clip since that same night. Was it the most eye-pleasing performance? Not particularly, as White settled for a couple of questionable looks early. But he looked confident taking advantage of the room Atlanta gave him in transition. After he saw a couple go through, you could tell he was feeling it. White also finished the night with 9 assists, which tied his season-high. He did a really nice job making quick decisions at the top of the key. We also saw him lean on his improved ball-handling at times to penetrate the paint and set up some easy looks for his teammates inside. Clearly, having the ball in his hands more last night played a major role in helping him snap this ugly stretch. With so many guards on this current roster, as well as the addition of a primary facilitator like Giddey, I think it’s become hard a times for White to find his rhythm. Another silver lining is the fact that Zach LaVine continues to make a strong sales pitch for interested parties. The guard scored a season-high 37 points on 14-25 shooting in Atlanta. He also scored 22 of these points in the third quarter with a ridiculous 6-6 shooting display from downtown. We watched him come off screens, pull up on the fastbreak, and step back with confidence. Very few players in this league have such a deep shotmaking bag. Right, Denver? Jevon Carter made a couple of ugly mistakes as the game went on, but he still deserves a loud round of applause for his first quarter. After spending the majority of this season warming the bench, he dropped 19 points in just over 8 minutes of action. His combination of open floor quickness and three-point shooting gave the Bulls the boost they needed to gain an early lead. Now, will this lead to more playing time? I highly doubt it when we consider the logjam Billy Donovan is dealing with in the backcourt. But perhaps it reminded teams around the league of what the veteran can do in the right environment. WATCH: Jevon Carter Went Nuclear for the Bulls in the First Quarter Chicago teams never fail to disappoint! In the same night the Bulls blow a 17-point lead, the Bears fail to score more than 3 points and “sell the team” chants ring throughout Solider Field. Tab has an updated NHL mock draft for you with the World Junior Championships now up and running! Is Seiya Suzuki headed out of Chicago? One NL team has been connected to the big hitter. Brett has more.ELSEWHERE AT BN: Check Out BN Fantasy | Subscribe to The BN Newsletter
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Biggest Meltdown of the Year? Coby White Snaps Slump, Jevon Carter’s First Quarter, and Other Bulls Bullets )
Also on site :