Bulls show little resistance in blowout loss to Rockets
It got out of hand fairly quickly for the Bulls.The Rockets and Bulls struggled in the first quarter. Baskets were hard to come by. But in the second quarter, the Rockets started attacking the paint, and protecting the paint is the Bulls’ biggest issue, which is saying something given the team’s myriad defensive problems.The Bulls’ poor second quarter provided the springboard for the Rockets to pull away to a 143-107 victory Sunday. The Bulls allowed 41 points in the second quarter and 40 in the third and were down by 39.Allowing 143 points goes beyond offensive sets and X’s and O’s, and the players know they have to perform better. This game was unacceptable. The Bulls realize they have to be more physical and offer more resistance against drives.“It’s just a compete thing; you’ve got to compete at a higher level,” guard Coby White said. “We’ve got to be more physical. We’ve got to take a stand.‘‘Giving up 140-plus in back-to-back games is unacceptable. It’s embarrassing. It’s a disservice to the organization, a disservice to the fan base.”The Rockets scored 80 points in the paint with the Bulls offering little resistance.The Bulls weren’t able to string together many stops. At their best, the Bulls turn opponents’ misses into transition opportunities. But because they were fouling or allowing the Rockets to get whatever they wanted in the paint, the Bulls were forced to play more of a halfcourt game than they would like — only the Grizzlies get out in transition more than the Bulls — and they had only 15 fast-break points.The Rockets were the ones dictating the pace and turning miscues into points. It was a letdown performance for the Bulls in the first game of a back-to-back and the start of five games in seven days.“People don’t care,” guard Zach LaVine said.“Teams aren’t going to come in and be like, ‘Oh, they’re playing five in seven.’ They don’t give a damn. You’ve got to play everybody in front of you.”Coach Billy Donovan thought the shooting woes affected the team. The Bulls attempted a franchise-record 56 three-pointers but only made 14.“I thought because we struggled to shoot the basketball after a period of time, it drained us,” Donovan said. “And this is one of those games where you have to find alternative ways to try to win because we certainly created a lot of really good looks.”LaVine said the Bulls can’t “let our offense dictate our defense” and that the team needs to be tougher to avoid nights like this.Though the Bulls allowed 144 points against the Cavaliers, White said the requisite effort was there. The Cavs were just lights-out offensively. But White felt the Rockets imposed their will on the Bulls.“They were more physical than us,” White said. “They outcompeted us. They dominated us on both ends of the floor.”The Bulls’ schedule doesn’t let up after the game Monday in Detroit against the feisty Pistons with games against the Bucks and Hawks.“We’ve got to be a lot tougher collectively,” LaVine said.“We just can’t let it snowball like it did tonight. We’ve been playing well all year and [have been] competitive. Tonight was the total opposite of that.”
It got out of hand fairly quickly for the Bulls.
The Rockets and Bulls struggled in the first quarter. Baskets were hard to come by. But in the second quarter, the Rockets started attacking the paint, and protecting the paint is the Bulls’ biggest issue, which is saying something given the team’s myriad defensive problems.
The Bulls’ poor second quarter provided the springboard for the Rockets to pull away to a 143-107 victory Sunday. The Bulls allowed 41 points in the second quarter and 40 in the third and were down by 39.
Allowing 143 points goes beyond offensive sets and X’s and O’s, and the players know they have to perform better. This game was unacceptable. The Bulls realize they have to be more physical and offer more resistance against drives.
“It’s just a compete thing; you’ve got to compete at a higher level,” guard Coby White said. “We’ve got to be more physical. We’ve got to take a stand.
‘‘Giving up 140-plus in back-to-back games is unacceptable. It’s embarrassing. It’s a disservice to the organization, a disservice to the fan base.”
The Rockets scored 80 points in the paint with the Bulls offering little resistance.
The Bulls weren’t able to string together many stops. At their best, the Bulls turn opponents’ misses into transition opportunities. But because they were fouling or allowing the Rockets to get whatever they wanted in the paint, the Bulls were forced to play more of a halfcourt game than they would like — only the Grizzlies get out in transition more than the Bulls — and they had only 15 fast-break points.
The Rockets were the ones dictating the pace and turning miscues into points. It was a letdown performance for the Bulls in the first game of a back-to-back and the start of five games in seven days.
“People don’t care,” guard Zach LaVine said.
“Teams aren’t going to come in and be like, ‘Oh, they’re playing five in seven.’ They don’t give a damn. You’ve got to play everybody in front of you.”
Coach Billy Donovan thought the shooting woes affected the team. The Bulls attempted a franchise-record 56 three-pointers but only made 14.
“I thought because we struggled to shoot the basketball after a period of time, it drained us,” Donovan said. “And this is one of those games where you have to find alternative ways to try to win because we certainly created a lot of really good looks.”
LaVine said the Bulls can’t “let our offense dictate our defense” and that the team needs to be tougher to avoid nights like this.
Though the Bulls allowed 144 points against the Cavaliers, White said the requisite effort was there. The Cavs were just lights-out offensively. But White felt the Rockets imposed their will on the Bulls.
“They were more physical than us,” White said. “They outcompeted us. They dominated us on both ends of the floor.”
The Bulls’ schedule doesn’t let up after the game Monday in Detroit against the feisty Pistons with games against the Bucks and Hawks.
“We’ve got to be a lot tougher collectively,” LaVine said.
“We just can’t let it snowball like it did tonight. We’ve been playing well all year and [have been] competitive. Tonight was the total opposite of that.”
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