Lackluster 4th quarter snaps Bulls’ 3-game streak
At the conclusion of a few games this season, as players decompress in the locker room to receive treatment and ice their sore limbs, the Chicago Bulls came together to discuss things as a team. Sometimes a veteran such as Thad Young or Garrett Temple will command the floor. Other times the conversation begins to flow about what just happened on the court — and often, what they need to do to fix it next time.
The Bulls’ 106-97 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday night at the United Center left the locker room feeling especially flummoxed. The Bulls led by as many as 16 points before being outscored 32-16 in the fourth quarter, snapping their three-game winning streak and leaving “the locker room hurting,” according to coach Billy Donovan.
“Because we as a team we feel we can win every single game,” Young said. “We feel that we let an opportunity slip away from us.”
Here are three takeaways from Friday’s loss.
1. ‘We felt like we should’ve won.’
The Bulls (15-17) spoiled an opportunity to reach .500 this deep into the season for the first time since 2016-17. They jumped to an early lead before a disastrous final period in which the Suns — who rank sixth in the NBA in defense — turned up the intensity defensively, the Bulls turnover issue came back to bite them and Chris Paul took over to seal the win.
“We were all hurt,” guard Coby White said. “We all felt we controlled the game. There’s no question that we controlled the game throughout the first (three quarters). It’s just that fourth quarter, we’ve got to come out and close. We felt like we should’ve won. And we go into any game feeling like we can win any game.”
Look at how far these Bulls have come: feeling as if they can win any game.
These same Bulls went winless against the top eight seeds in the Eastern Conference last season. They used to stand no chance against a team like the Suns (21-11), who are fourth in the far more rigorous
Western Conference. And yet the Bulls know they missed an opportunity Friday night.
If players have credited Donovan with changing their mindset this season, perhaps this is it. They still are learning to win, sure, but they also are starting to expect it.
“These guys have invested a lot,” Donovan said. “They’re really working and they’re trying. You can just see the disappointment in their face because they knew that probably for 3½ quarters, at least three quarters, we were playing really good basketball and we were hanging in there toe-to-toe.
“They’re working to take another step. They’ve got to figure out — against good-caliber, really good teams, and (the Suns are) a very good team — you just can’t overcome that. … But they also know there were things that we all had control over that we just did not do particularly well.”
The Bulls are about to get tested during this next stretch before the All-Star break. Their next three opponents are the Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans.
2. Chris Paul closes the Bulls out again.
At shootaround Friday morning, White was asked about his relationship with Suns point guard Chris Paul, who became a mentor to White growing up in North Carolina.
“That’s still big, bro,” White said. “That’s family. You step on the court, all that dwindles away. But off the court that’s still family. Nothing changes.”
Well, Paul’s performance was a reminder he’s still big bro on the court too. Paul finished with 14 points and 15 assists, including a stellar closing performance. He knocked down both his shots from the floor and a pair of free throws for six points while adding six assists.
It’s a performance Donovan thought both White and Zach LaVine could learn from.
“It’s not only his play, it’s just his intelligence, his smarts, his leadership, the way he can orchestrate and move guys around,” Donovan said. “Obviously I got a chance to see it firsthand for a whole year. That’s who he is and that’s what he does. He has a great impact on the game and a lot of times he doesn’t necessarily need to be scoring.”
3. Luke Kornet finally pays off.
For the last few weeks, Donovan has been giving Luke Kornet the edge over Daniel Gafford as the backup center. Donovan explained his reasoning again this week about Kornet’s ability to space the floor, never mind the fact that Kornet was shooting 1-for-14 on 3-pointers this season.
On Friday, Kornet finally delivered the production the Bulls have been waiting for. He knocked down three 3-pointers in less than two minutes for a nine-point flurry during the third quarter. He finished the game with 11 points, five rebounds and three blocks and helped clear the paint and spread the floor.
“He played well,” Donovan said. “I was happy for Luke. He works hard and those shots kind of broke momentum for them and gave us a little momentum going back when we were up … those three threes were big and with (Deandre) Ayton to try and pull him away from the basket a little bit.”