Just when they thought they were out. It seemed like the sky was falling. But the Bulls found a way to beat the first-place Celtics 121-107 on Monday night, snapping their four-game losing streak and resetting the vibes prior to their long road trip. “Games like this, we realize we can compete with anybody,” DeMar DeRozan said after the game at the United Center. “I really believe when you catch that rhythm, that confidence of playing at a high level, it’s going to be consistent.” The Celtics entered the game with a league-leading 119.1 offensive rating. That number, if they sustained it, would be the greatest single-season offensive rating in NBA history. They only mustered a 103.9 offensive rating against…

“You get what you earn,” Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan said after Friday night’s loss to the Magic. “And the record says exactly who you are. I think that’s where we’re at. We’re a 6-10 team.” With a few days to let the emotions temper down following the gut-wrenching loss, it’s time to reorient and find some perspective. Usually, that means taking a step back and realizing that painful loss was just one game. But right now, the opposite is true. Coming into Friday’s game, the Bulls had lost three straight over the course of seven days. The two most recent were completely non-competitive. So ahead of Friday’s game against the Magic, Donovan called out Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and…

It’s hard to state that a mid-November game was a must win, but it’s hard to ignore that things are beginning to unravel. After losing to the Magic 108-107 on the back of a Jalen Suggs game-winning three-pointer, the Bulls fall to 6-10 on the year. They have dropped four-in-a-row and six-of-seven. Despite another miserable start to the game, the Bulls had their chance. They fought back from down 19 to take a four point lead with 26.5 seconds remaining. From there, they fouled Jalen Suggs to put him at the line, where he cut the lead to two. Nikola Vucevic then missed two free throws that could have sealed the game, before Suggs hit the winner. Get our latest…

In the midst of losing five-of-six games, the Bulls are facing a reality check. With Boston coming to Chicago on Monday ahead of a six-game road trip, pressure is starting to build just 15 games into the season. “You can always talk as much as you want, but the actions have got to back up what the talk is,” Billy Donovan said before the Bulls tipped off against the Magic on Friday night. Outside narratives are advocating a stylistic shift or a change to the starting lineup. But that is just sidestepping the issue. The Bulls big three needs to be better. Full stop. “I’ve got like a lot of respect on a lot of levels for (Nikola Vucevic) and…

The way he flings the ball so effortlessly across the court with his off hand is almost too easy. Ever since his draft night, I had ruminating on a theory that there might be something more going on there. Maybe he’s ambidextrous. Maybe even a natural lefty?

After three days of platitudes about effort and energy, the Chicago Bulls again laid an egg. The New Orleans Pelicans put the hammer down in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulls 37-25 and building their lead up to as many as 19. The Bulls had no answers on the road, and looked disinterested in trying to find any. Eventually, they lost 124-110, falling to 6-9, their first three-game skid of the season. This was a bad loss — their second embarrassing defeat in as many games. Here are my takeaways from the game: Get our latest CHGO Basketball shirt! Bulls against Math volume LLIIIXCILIVUWISDFKLJ The Bulls are often at a deficit when it comes to three-point shooting volume, a fact I…

The Bulls had three days off between games. It felt like three months. The Denver Nuggets came into the United Center and beat the Bulls 126-103 pushing the Bulls to 6-8 in the midst of their tough November stretch. “It’s unacceptable,” Zach LaVine said after the game. “From all of us. One through 15. Coaching staff. Everybody. We got our butt kicked out there. It just wasn’t a good game all around.” The Bulls started the game with a surprising lack of energy, especially from a team coming off so many days rest. They turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter and 18 times on the night. They simply weren’t prepared to play from the tip. “I…

Nikola Vucevic was uncomfortable last year. The offensive fit was clunky at times. The shot profile was heavily skewed towards above the break threes. The Bulls had a hard time figuring out the best use of his skillset. But to start this year, Vucevic looks at home in the Bulls offense. The key is playing him more in the corners. So far, Vucevic has connected on 7-of-10 corner three point attempts. He only made six all of last season and a combined total of 20 corner threes during his entire career. But this is more than just having Vucevic stand in the corner and shoot threes. Billy Donovan has implemented more motion and movement before settling into their primary actions…

The Bulls held a 97-93 lead with 5:07 to go in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night but ended up losing by four. After their slow decline, the Bulls had a chance to get within one or tie with 17 seconds to go. They had the ball sideline out of bounds after a timeout and this was the result: “I think he got forced out a little bit higher, we could have, I think, done a better job screening to help on the inbounds pass,” Billy Donovan said. The Bulls couldn’t shake their clutch demons and fell to the Pelicans 115-111. Those struggles in the clutch are becoming a trend. The Bulls are the worst clutch team (net rating in…