Bulls Battle a Bit, But Lose to Heat
Someday, perhaps two years from now, the Bulls will have the talent to defeat teams on the same level of the Miami Heat. Those are the teams that could either chase a low playoff seed or not be bad enough to merit a top-3 lottery pick. But two years from now is not today. Despite giving the Heat a scare, the Bulls couldn’t finish the job in a 97–91 loss.
A sluggish start gave way to a strong first-half finish, so the Bulls trailed by only two at the break. Miami came out sluggish in the third quarter, and the Bulls looked like a real basketball team to the point where they led by six with three minutes left in the frame. But the Heat retook the lead right before the quarter ended and wouldn’t relinquish it for the rest of the game. The final score made it closer than it was as the Bulls picked up some garbage points in the final minute.
Goran Dragic, perhaps still having it out for the Bulls after Derrick Rose put him on a poster almost eight years ago, led the Heat with 20 points. Tyler Johnson was the top bench player of the night, scoring 19. Hassan Whiteside had a trademark game with a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds. Dion Waiters chipped in 13 points and seven assists.
Once again, the story for the Bulls was Lauri Markkanen, who scored 17 of his game-high 25 points in the first half. It was the first time he’s reached the 20-point plateau, and his two 3-pointers gave him 17 for the season, the most for any NBA player after six career games. He showed signs of being able to carry a team on his back for stretches. With more experience, he could develop into a real game changer.
Though he still shouldn’t be the primary offensive option anywhere, Robin Lopez had a fine game with 22 points. David Nwaba was a nice surprise, grabbing 11 rebounds. In point guard news, Jerian Grant had a game-high eight assists, while Kris Dunn poured in 11 points and produced a couple of blocks for his highlight reel. Though Dunn also turned the ball over a game-high five times, he still showed he needs to start at the one, not Grant.
There was some good in this contest, but not nearly enough to counter the bad. The Bulls simply don’t have the talent for sustained runs to put opponents away. The good news about this being a young team is that as the season goes on, the players can get a better sense of how to win in the NBA and win together. Though they may not usually succeed in close games, any success will show what the Bulls have to build on for the future (Markkanen, for one).
The Bulls will stay in Florida to play the Orlando Magic on Friday. They’ll be facing one the surprise teams in this young NBA season: one whose 6–2 record is tied with Boston for the best in the league. Whether that team can sustain that pace remains to be seen. The beauty of the NBA’s first month is watching teams succeed early and making guesses on their legitimacy, and perhaps a Bulls victory could put quite a dent in their armor.
