Nets 112, Bulls 109: Bulls can’t complete comeback as they reach the midway point

Trailing by 20 points with 11:20 to go in the fourth quarter, the Chicago Bulls ripped off a 37-20 run to close the game, but couldn’t pull off another comeback win and fell to the Brooklyn Nets 112- 109.

Nikola Vucevic followed up his season-high against and game-winner against Utah with another strong game. He had a chance to win it, but his buzzer-beating heave ricocheted off the glass. Still, he finished with 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Vucevic continues to be the stabilizer for Chicago, and it would be hard to imagine them looking remotely competitive without him consistently bailing them out. Alongside Jalen Smith, who had 14 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and four blocks, the two-big lineup is here to stay.

After shooting 37.5 percent as a team in the first half, Coby White took over in the second half, finally looking more like last year’s version of himself. He was aggressive in looking for driving lanes, initiating physicality and finishing through contact. He finished with 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting.

Tune into the CHGO Bulls postgame live:

Up next: Now 0-2 against the Nets this year, the Bulls will have another crack at them, back at the United Center on Sunday.

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We’ve officially reached the halfway point of the season, and the Bulls (19-22) are where they always are.

• 2024-25: 18-23
• 2023-24: 19-22
• 2022-23: 19-22

Considering the unfathomably low utter lack of expectations Bulls’ leadership set for the team on Media Day, it’s hard to imagine them anywhere else at this point in the season.

“We’re going to focus on winning every game without putting any goals on the team, besides just getting better and growing together,” Arturas Karnisovas said to start the year.

Asked his perspective on the state of the Bulls at a recent media availability, Billy Donovan at least acknowledged that the wins and losses count for something, even if how many and how few don’t seem to be of importance.

“For us, I think we’re at our best when we’re whole,” Donovan recently told reporters. “I think that could be the case for most teams. I like the way our guys have competed and played. I’ve always said this; it’s a result-oriented business. At the end of the game, you’re looking at it, whether or not you won or lost. But I try to look at it through the lens of, are we doing the things that we can control, and are we playing in a way that’s going to be sustainable against good teams?”

If the measurement for success is whether or not the team competed hard, they can hold their heads high (just look past 5-15 stretch, but at least the injury excuse will cover for that). If they want to make the playoffs, maybe they can still weasel their way in as the 10th seed in an exceedingly unimpressive East. If not, at least they’ll have a 1.5 percent chance to win the lottery, which as of today, would be their odds as the team with the 12th worst record in the league.

No matter which of these outcomes manifests, it’s all under the umbrella of mediocrity.

— Will Gottlieb

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First of all, shoutout to all the Bulls fans who came out to Lone Owl in Wicker Park to hang with us tonight! Dale, Joel, Mays, Rick – and special shoutout to my guy Kunze, who won the Pop-A-Shot contest and free Bulls tickets! I lived with Kunze for seven years, and I never knew he could stack buckets like that. I suspect he cheated somehow…

Rough night for Buzelis. The silver lining on a night when his shot was not falling, so much so that he couldn’t even convert a wide-open breakaway dunk? He got to the free-throw line several times. It’s something, so I’ll take it. But I can’t help but wonder if he was in his head after that 19-minute scolding from Donovan the other night.

So that’s one blown dunk for Buzelis, still trailing Patrick Williams by…267 blown dunks.

We’ve made it to the halfway point of the season! And whaddaya know, the Bulls are the middiest mid team whoever strived for mid. Does somebody else run this team yet? Because I’m getting pretty tired of this uninspired crap.

At least we have Derrick Rose Night Part 2, and number one shaped nachos at the UC to look forward to next weekend! *Biggest eye roll ever* …Y’all have fun.

Respect to D Rose, though. He deserves this honor and the love from the city and Bulls fans everywhere. I just wish he weren’t a vessel for greedy owners who don’t care about winning. It’s such a disrespect to Rose, Joakim Noah, and all their teammates who strived to be great. Even if they fell short.

— Matt Peck

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As much as they scored, they couldn’t stop the Nets from doing the same. Has happened pretty much all season for the Bulls.

The Bulls started to play harder in the third quarter. Makes me wonder what was said to them at the half. Pace absolutely picked up for both sides.

Vucevic has been outstanding scoring the ball all season but especially the past few games. 

More. Matas. Buzelis. Don’t care how good or bad he’s playing. PLAY HIM.

Good to see White have a spark in that third quarter. You can tell he’s trying to get back to form.

Big shoutout to everyone who came out to our watch-along. It was a really good time. Doing these things with Bulls fans is always something I look forward to. Being able to interact with the people who are the primary reason why I get to live my dream every day. It’s something I’m very happy about doing. So thank y’all for coming out and continuing to show support for what we do. It’s appreciated more than I will ever be able to express.

— Big Dave

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