Hornets 112, Bulls 99: Second half collapse drowns Bulls

The highs are high with this Chicago Bulls team, but the lows are extremely low.

The Bulls scored 39 on 73.9 percent shooting in the first quarter and were up 58-50 at the half, with a lead as large at 15. But the script flipped in the third quarter as the Hornets opened up the game after going on a 26-7 run.

The Bulls struggled to manage the loss of Jalen Smith, who left to be evaluated for a concussion in the third quarter after a head-on collision with LaMelo Ball. The Hornets shot 55.6 percent for 32 points in the third while the Bulls shot just 5-of-23 (21.7 percent) for 17 points.

The Bulls put together a run after going down 18 with 4:00 to go, but the Hornets were able to hold them off for a 112-99 win, behind a 21-point second-half margin.

Nikola Vucevic was the steadying force for the Bulls during their third-period collapse, helping them recover from an 11-point deficit. The veteran ended with 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting, with eight coming in the third period.

Ayo Dosunmu stepped into a primary ball-handling role in the absence of Josh Giddey and Coby White. Dosunmu’s half-court heave at the first quarter buzzer highlighted his scoring, but his relentlessness attacking the rim to generate paint touches had a positive impact on the Bulls’ scoring all night. Dosunmu scored 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting and continues to put forth a strong campaign in a contract season.

After the most well-rounded game of his career, Matas Buzelis wasn’t quite as explosive, with only 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting. He rebounded well, with eight, but wasn’t as prolific with his passing, registering only three assists.

Up next: After completing their six-game homestand with a 3-3 record, the Bulls will head to Boston for a matchup with the 21-12 Celtics. The Celtics have undergone a bit of a roster overhaul since they last saw the Bulls, of course, losing Jayson Tatum to an Achilles injury, but also dumping Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, and losing Al Horford in free agency. Still, they remain one of the best teams in the league, with a +6.6 point differential. This will be another good test for Chicago, as the Celtics are 5-1, third in both offense and defense over the last two weeks.  

Tune into the CHGO Bulls postgame live:

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Despite missing Zach Collins, the Bulls continue to start games with both Vucevic and Smith out there together, a lineup that has performed well all season, with a +12.9 point differential. 

The ability to protect the rim with two bigger bodies has helped deter shots at the rim, but more importantly, it allows the Bulls to gain an edge in the possession battle.

“One of the biggest things that we struggled with, even last year and even part of this year, is teams getting a lot more bites at the apple in terms of attempts,” Billy Donovan said. “And what really impacts that is your turnovers, and then you’re giving up offensive rebounds. So, sometimes the rim protection piece, for us, we were giving up maybe rim shots to get more size there, and you get more defensive rebounding, and then you also give up yourself an opportunity to offensive rebound.”

Lineups with both Vucevic and Smith are offensive rebounding 35.1 percent of the teams’ misses, which would rank second in the NBA behind only the Houston Rockets. Oftentimes, these extra possessions are either put-backs at the rim or kick-outs to open three-point shooters, making them incredibly valuable. 

“And that’s been important because that’s another thing that bleeds into other teams getting more cracks at it than you do,” Donovan said. “And in some of these games that are one possession, games those possessions matter.”

— Will Gottlieb   

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The Bulls looked like they might coast to a rare wire-to-wire victory for large stretches of the first half. Then the third quarter happened. A 10-0 Hornets run early in the third, coupled with some lazy/bad Bulls possessions late in the second quarter, and this became a game very quickly.

…So at least we know the Bulls are still the Bulls. Capable of great team basketball (like 16 assists on 17 made field goals in the first quarter alone) and also capable of…looking that bad against Buzz City. Consistently inconsistent. Comfortably familiar.

Buzelis and Vucevic seem to have found some solid chemistry in these games without Giddey and White. Both are creating good looks for the other in pick-and-roll scenarios, kickout passes, post-ups and off-ball cuts. You know what that means! Vucevic, sign on the dotted line for a fresh three-year deal! (LOLJK…but is it JK if AK is still DTV?) (DTV = Down To Vooch) …I’ll see myself out.

So much for that upward trend for Patrick “Lee” Williams. He went back to looking like the guy most Bulls fans have come to expect. Shame, after just his second back-to-back games this season with double-digit points in the wins over New Orleans and Orlando. But is it surprising? No, no it is not.

— Matt Peck   

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Boy. That escalated quickly.

That third quarter was a tough one. Bulls couldn’t buy a bucket, and the Hornets cashed in. Also, I hope Smith is okay. Really tough seeing him go down.

Buzelis continues to get more time to showcase, and I LOVE it. Flaws and all.

Kevin Huerter is interesting to me. He can shoot, but is not great at it; he’s tough, but gets bodied. He’s either all in or all out as far as scoring.

Once again, the Bulls’ bench led the way. To quote the four-time champion, Will Perdue, “best bench in the league.” 

Dosunmu is so awesome. He is always attacking, creating and being creative on the floor. And that half-court shot at the end of the first? *chef’s kiss*

Do you see why I said don’t be fooled by Patrick “Lee” Williams and his last two games? He’s ass. It is what it is.

— Big Dave