NEW YORK — This is getting ugly.
There is a version of losing that makes a team better. And then there is whatever the Chicago Bulls did on the hallowed hardwood of Madison Square Garden in Wednesday's 135-105 loss.
The Bulls had achieved that platonic ideal of a development loss — young players balling out, high intensity through the final whistle, playing a tough opponent closely — in their last game against the New York Knicks . That game was invigorating, bolstering, even though it didn't tally in the win column. Rebuilding teams spend entire seasons chasing that type of development loss. But on Wednesday, the Bulls seemed to reverse every positive development made in that prior meeting with the Knicks, rolling over at the first sign of resistance from the reigning champs.
For a silver lining, just go ahead and move on to the business section of the paper. There are no positive takeaways from a 30-point loss in which the opposing team logged 100 points with plenty of time still left in the third quarter.
"Teams are coming at us and looking at us like it's lunch," guard Norman Powell said. "Like they're going to get their numbers and it's going to be an easy win. We've got to figure out how collectively to have the mentality and approach of some grittiness, some toughness, some way to compete."
The Bulls are the worst defensive team in the NBA. They're also the worst 3-point shooting team in the league. That combination is lethal. This team isn't consistently stalwart enough to keep from getting dug into an early deficit. They also aren't creative enough to clamber out of such a hole once they're stuck in it. Wednesday's loss did not feature a glimmer of a comeback dream, resulting in a lengthy, exhausting slog toward the blowout final score.
The Bulls moved sluggishly on defense, failing to show their hands or create the type of basic pressure required to speed up an opponent. They could not finish open layups. They let themselves be chased down for blocks and shouldered off the ball for offensive rebounds. And the youngest stars on the roster suffered the most. Matas Buzelis managed 12 points, but melted on the defensive end of the ball. Caleb Wilson missed six 3-pointers, turned the ball over three times and scored only five points as the Knicks applied smothering pressure. The rookie did not play at all in the fourth quarter.
"Honestly, I feel like I should've tried to keep playing more later in the game," Wilson said. "I was really frustrated. Hopefully (a blowout loss) doesn't happen again, but if it does just keep playing through it."
And it could have been worse. The Knicks led by 44 points in the first half, but took their foot off the gas in the second half and ultimately gave their entire starting lineup the fourth quarter off. As a result, the Bulls gave up only 51 points in that half — a normal amount for a regular game, but a major change from an 84-point first half. Patrick Williams played the most minutes of any Bulls player in the second half, registering four points in that span.
This is the sixth straight loss for the Bulls, who are now 1-7 on the season. The Bulls knew they would lose — a lot — but losses such as Wednesday's offer only marginal opportunities for the growth this team so desperately craves.
Here are four takeaways from the loss.
The Bulls don't need another frontcourt injury, but they might have suffered one in New York when Jalen Smith exited the game in the first quarter following a hard fall. Smith attempted to block a shot by OG Anunoby, who caught him with a pump fake and waited for the center to come back down before completing his shot. Smith's lower body caught Anunoby at an awkward angle, sending him plummeting head-first toward the hardwood.
Smith caught himself with both of his palms, bending his left wrist backward in the process. He immediately reacted to that impact, grabbing at his left hand and gingerly cradling that arm as he headed to the locker room. He was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game.
As Noa Essengue fights through growing pains, the Chicago Bulls see a potentially 'elite' defender
The Bulls are expecting frontcourt reinforcements this week as starting center Nic Claxton prepares to make his debut after missing the majority of preseason and the first eight games of the regular season with a hamstring injury. But Claxton will start out under a minutes restriction — and he's still not guaranteed to play in Sunday's home game against the Philadelphia 76ers. If Claxton and Smith are both unavailable, the Bulls will have to play small with 6-foot-9 center Zach Collins anchoring the position.
For the first 12 minutes of Wednesday's loss, the Bulls watched Jalen Brunson play with the bewildered air of a student who forgot to study for a test. Brunson pulled up to splash 3s in the face of defenders like Noa Essengue. He bullied his way to the rim, bouncing his way through contact like a pinball ricocheting across a board. The Bulls simply did not have an answer. Brunson missed only two shots in the first quarter while dropping four 3s, scoring 22 points on his own to outscore the entirety of the Bulls roster (21 points) in that frame.
Knicks coach Mike Brown rested Brunson for the first seven minutes of the second quarter. By the time he returned to the court, he had cooled off sufficiently, although he still finished with 33 points on 10-for-17 shooting.
Tiago Splitter is not a superstitious man. So the coach isn't breaking out the sage or building any rituals despite the fact that the Bulls have quickly become the worst shooting team in the NBA. But after another dismal shooting performance, it's clear that the Bulls need to change something from deep.
The Bulls are one of only two teams averaging a sub-.300 shooting percentage from the 3-point range. Wednesday night marked the second-worst shooting performance of the season, trailing only the season opener against the Toronto Raptors. The Bulls finished 10-for-44 from behind the arc.
This was, of course, a defensive loss. That's the only conclusion that can be made from a game in which the opposing team scored this many points in one half alone. But it's also hard to defend when the opposing team is rarely digging the ball out of their own net, starting every play with the upbeat tempo established by a rebound. Without consistent scoring, the Bulls don't have a counter or a comeback
For veteran guard Norman Powell, no shot has been more valuable this season than the free throw. Ahead of Wednesday's matchup in New York, Powell ranked sixth overall in the NBA in average free throws attempted per game (8.9). But at times, this approach seems to disguise a major backslide in his shooting. That was true in Wednesday's loss, where he tallied six free throws while also missing all of his five attempts from behind the arc to score 12 points.
Powell has a knack for earning a whistle — and he admittedly takes a bit of glee in forcing an error out of an opponent, especially youngsters who don't know any better. Unlike other savvy foul-baiters in the league, Powell prefers to tempt opposing defenders to commit a reach-in foul rather than catching them on a pump fake or in the air. As a result, many of the shot attempts that accompany these whistles are often half-hearted at best, a pantomime of a shooting motion to ensure that the play earns two free throws.
The Bulls need Powell to produce a sizable portion of their scoring this season, which means any points — including free throws — are more than welcome. But they also need to establish a healthy offensive style that doesn't rely on the type of isolation-focused play that results in these foul calls. Splitter previously said he is working with Powell to balance the quality of his shot attempts against the greater needs of a rebuilding offense that is attempting to teach young guys how to play the right way.
