Daily Bulls

The Chicago Bulls lose in a tight battle against the Cleveland Cavaliers, 103-102. For the second straight game against a good team (Bucks on Wednesday), the Bulls fought back in the final two minutes, but this time going on a 6-0 run. With 2:03 left in the game, Cleveland took a seven-point lead, and the game was about to end. Chicago got the defensive stops and the chance to win the game, but DeMar DeRozan missed a contested 15-foot two-pointer as time expired. DeRozan finished the game with team-high 21 points. Chicago falls to 16-20 to begin 2023, and Cleveland snaps their three-game losing streak and is now 23-14.

4 Takeaways from their Loss

1. Bulls kept on fighting

Chicago found themselves down by 12 during the second quarter and 13 in the third quarter. But they figured out a way to fight to get the chance of winning against the Cavaliers. So how could the Bulls keep on fighting and close the Cavaliers’ lead down to one end of the game? Defense. Ever since the blowout in Minnesota, Chicago understands their formula of winning games is by the defense and running on the fast break. During their loss, the Bulls caused 21 Cavaliers turnovers, which led to 20 points on the other end.

The game’s result may not have gone in the Bulls’ way, but Chicago can learn about themselves and know what it takes to be the best of the NBA. The good news is the Bulls will get the chance to play Cleveland on Monday. The question for the Bulls will be if their defense can be good and consistent. Chicago has a 5-2 record when allowing less than 105 points, and Cleveland scored 103 points. Unfortunately, the Bulls’ offense couldn’t show up for 48 minutes.

2. Free Throws and Second Chance Points hurt Chicago

The main two reasons the Bulls lost their second game in their previous three games because of missing key free throws and allowing too many second-chance points. Chicago finished the game shooting 17-for-24 from the line but missed two key free throws in the final two minutes of the game. First, with 1:21 left, Alex Caruso missed one of two, and 20 seconds later, Ayo Dosunmu missed one of two. Those freebies came back to hurt the Bulls, and if Chicago made both of the shots, the Bulls could be looking at a win to end 2022.

Chicago’s second significant reason for losing against Cleveland was getting outworked on the boards, which allowed many second-chance opportunities for the Cavaliers. Cleveland outscored Chicago 25-2 in the second chance points department and won the rebounding battle 50-40. Everybody not named Drummond or Vucevic must help out their bigs by limiting opponents to one shot per possession. Vucevic finished the game with 14 rebounds, but surprisedly, Andre Drummond got one rebound in 13 minutes of playing time. During the playoffs, limiting the best teams to one shot is significant. Cleveland finished the game shooting 45.9% from the field, but those 25-second chance points helped them snap their three-game losing streak.

3. Cold streaks allow Cavs Lead to Build

The Bulls’ big three couldn’t get going shooting the ball, with Lavine scoring 15 points and Vucevic adding 11 points. Chicago did finish shooting 48.1% from the field, better than Cleveland. But there were stretches during the game; Chicago needed help to score a field goal. During the second quarter, the Bulls scored two points from 10:00 to 6:16. Cleveland built a 12-point, 50-38 during that period. The Bulls managed to cut the lead to five at halftime, 60-55.

To start the second half, Chicago got the lead back at 64-63 with 9:41 left in the game. The problem for the Bulls was they scored only one shot in the next six minutes. Nikola Vucevic made a two-point, but Cleveland was up 77-68. One minute later, that lead got up to 14, 82-68. Chicago kept fighting until the end and only lost by one point, 103-102.

4. Ayo continues to play well

Even though the Bulls’ big three of DeRozan, Lavine, and Vucevic couldn’t get their offense going. There has been improvement by the second-year guard, Ayo Dosunmu. Dosunmu finished the game with 19 points and five steals. The five steals help the Bulls get back in the game, three of his steals coming during the fourth quarter. Since Dosunmu got hurt in Atlanta earlier in December, Ayo Dosunmu has been averaging 10.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in his last six games. Expect Dosunmu to continue to start in place of Lonzo Ball.

Up Next

Both teams will face each other on Monday in Cleveland.

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