Bulls vs. Magic: Was this the worst loss of the year?
The Chicago Bulls are certainly making it tough on those who wish to decide on their most embarrassing loss this season.
The Orlando Magic beat the Bulls 98–91 on the back of another Elfrid Payton triple-double and roughly 850 points off of Bulls turnovers. This one had all the classics of a let-down Bulls loss: baffling rotations, way too much isolation, bad shot selection, way too much isolation, defensive lapses, still too much isolation, and we’ll cover it all. But first, let’s run down the key points of the game.
First Half
It was a tough first quarter to watch, with both teams shooting a combined 15-of-41 from the field. Orlando Center Bismack Biyombo missed five shots in a row from about six feet out, and the Bulls had their fair share of clunkers as well. Despite the shooting struggles, Chicago finished up the quarter up 22–19.
We also encountered a new edition of “What on Earth is Fred Hoiberg doing with his rotations?” at the end of the first quarter. Joffrey Lauvergne subbed in for Bobby Portis, then played a long, 12-minute stretch until Portis came back in to close the half.
Lauvergne impressed with a 3-pointer and a few other nice plays, but it’s unclear why Nikola Mirotic didn’t see any time in the first half, especially considering how well he’s played in recent games.
Rajon Rondo and Cristiano Felicio connected for a couple of entertaining alley-oops when they shared the court. Felicio continues to roll harder than anyone on the Bulls, and it seems like when Rondo runs the pick and roll with Felicio, something might actually happen from it. With the Butler/Lopez PnRs we see so often, it’s crystal clear that Jimmy is just going to dribble into a step back.
Chicago finished the half up 53–43, thanks in part to this slick buzzer beater from Jimmy Butler.
Second Half
Bulls fans have come to learn the hard way that a solid first half performance doesn’t always mean much down the stretch, and tonight was no exception. The Magic came out of the locker room ready to play and put up a 34-point 3rd quarter, tying the game 77–77 going into the fourth.
The fourth quarter went as you might expect. The Bulls offense magically transformed into a clunky isolation machine, and they soon lost the lead that they had held since the first quarter. A couple of Jerian Grant 3-pointers kept it close down the stretch, but the Magic proved to be too much for Chicago in the end. That was a very disheartening sentence to write.
Mirotic picked up his fourth DNP-CD of the season, with Lauvergne playing almost 29 minutes at the power forward position. According to Stephen Noh of The Athletic, Fred Hoiberg was asked after the game what influenced this decision and responded, “Joffrey’s been really good. I wanted to get him some extended minutes.”
Bright Spots
Jerian Grant had another impressive game to put under his belt, scoring 13 points and pulling down five rebounds. Grant shot 3-of-4 from 3-point range as well, and he continued to make his case for the starting job going forward. The only glaring absence from his game is his assists. He’s averaging only 3.7 per 36 minutes, and while it may be difficult to rack up dimes when you have to share the ball with Jimmy Butler, Grant needs to do better than that.
Lauvergne’s performance was also encouraging. From the very small sample size we’ve seen, it looks as if he could be a competent backup big going forward. We’ll see if his presence influences how the Bulls deal with Niko’s upcoming foray into restricted free agency.
Head Scratchers
I just don’t know what else I can say about the Bulls offense at this point. The whole thing is incomprehensible, from the ATOs to the half court scheme. They seem allergic to pushing the pace, they treat pick and rolls like vegetables they’re forced to eat instead of ways to get open shots, and four guys are perfectly content to watch possession after possession unfold in front of them instead of getting involved.
A lot of this ultimately falls on Fred Hoiberg’s shoulders. The evidence is stacking up that he’s not the offensive savant that he was spun as at his hiring. I know that the rosters he’s been given haven’t suited his style, but that isn’t a catch-all excuse that protects him from all the things he’s done wrong. There are very feasible ways to improve this offense that aren’t happening, and it’s not just because Georges Niang isn’t on the team.
The Bulls head back to the United Center on Friday to take on James Harden and the Houston Rockets. Stay tuned for all the coverage you need from the Bulls Confidential team.
