The Chicago Bulls failed to score more than 100 points in their Tuesday game against the Detroit Pistons, who had the lowest defensive rating in the whole league. That ought to say a lot about the Bulls’ evening. Furthermore, as head coach Billy Donovan noted in the press conference following the game, their difficulties may have been mostly due to frustration.
Horrible Shooting
Donovan said that the Bulls’ 2 for 29 shooting from beyond the arc, which was the second-worst shooting effort in league history, was just one of those nights. Donovan, though, was displeased with the Bulls’ apparent tendency to let their subpar shooting affect other facets of their game. He said,
“Certainly 2-for-29 . . . a total outlier game in terms of that kind of shooting,”
“But the other thing, too, and I’m hoping we can really learn from a lot of this is it wasn’t like we were down 25 because of it. I thought the loose balls, the hustle plays, the offensive rebounds into transition, we still had opportunities to overcome it.”
ALEX. CARUSO.@NBCSChicago | @ACFresh21 pic.twitter.com/0l6UMuWEoX
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 28, 2024
Even though the Bulls’ shooting display was an extreme anomaly, it made clear how crucial it is to avoid having missed attempts control the outcome of the game. The Bulls had chances to win the game on Tuesday despite their dreadful shooting, and they were within one, 89-88, in the fourth quarter. Donovan said,
“I always talk about the things we can control, and I do think that to a certain extent, frustration [crept] in a little bit. When things aren’t going your way, you’ve got to manufacture other things to try to offset that,”
"When you're committed, you find a way. When you're interested, you find an excuse." pic.twitter.com/LYs2GATKDs
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) February 28, 2024
However, the Bulls didn’t seem to be focused late in the fourth quarter, as they missed defensive rotations and couldn’t box out.
