The Chicago Bulls have moved back toward .500 with a string of high-profile wins in recent weeks – but that trend ended Friday night with a 132-123 loss to the Indiana Pacers at the United Center.

The loss highlighted how much the Bulls rely on their scoring to make up for their complete lack of defensive prowess. The Pacers shot 56.5%, got uncontested layups and painless drives into the zone, while the Bulls struggled to communicate and rotate defensively.

The Bulls (10-14) have scored 115 or more points in eight consecutive games, a franchise record. But the high score trend still hasn’t translated into victories.

“Everyone gets frustrated when you get scored on,” guard Lonzo Ball said. “Tonight we scored over 120 points and still lost. In my opinion we shouldn’t do that – 120 is enough to win.”

Here are four lessons learned from the loss.

1. The offense evaporated in the second quarter

The Bulls have one of the most prolific offenses in the NBA, so it’s a rarity for them to score fewer than 20 points in a quarter. But the Pacers shut down the Bulls in the second quarter, outscoring the hosts 36-19.

The main problem was a cold snap behind the arc. The Bulls went 0-for-8 from 3-point range in the quarter, including three missed shots by Coby White, and were unable to score at the rim or in the paint. Jalen Smith and Josh Giddey were the only players to make multiple field goals in the quarter.

“That second quarter for us…that was a big difference in the game,” coach Billy Donovan said. “To be honest, I didn’t like some of the shots in the second quarter. I thought we were stuck. I thought we were very static. I don’t think we achieved much penetration. I didn’t think it was going downhill. I think their versatility to switch, be physical and blow up screens, I think, contributed to us not shooting the ball particularly well in the second quarter.”

The Bulls finished the game 21-for-50 (42%) from 3-point range, another reflection of the new normal for a team that lives and dies behind the arc. Giddey finished 0-for-6 primarily from 3-point range, while the guard continued to falter from distance, often draining uncontested 3s as opponents preferred to leave him unguarded.

Zach LaVine was the Bulls’ only constant, scoring 32 points while going 5 of 9 from behind the arc. But even his impact was limited as the Bulls’ offense struggled to find its trademark rhythm.

2. A rare off night for Nikola Vučević

A key factor in slowing the Bulls’ offensive power was shutting down Vučević, who had dropped 39 points to the Spurs in San Antonio the night before.

The Pacers’ frontcourt presented a different challenge for Vučević, with Myles Turner, Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin providing versatile rotation up the court on both sides of the ball. As a result, Indiana was able to easily substitute Vučević to keep the ball out of his hands. And when the Bulls’ offense stalled in the first half, they struggled to hit Vučević from deep, which became a perennial problem.

Vučević still finished the game with 13 points after shooting 3-for-5 from 3-point range and fell just shy of another double-double with nine rebounds. But due to his lack of presence on the offensive boards and lack of support from the perimeter, the Bulls lacked the usual level of support from their center.

3. Lonzo Ball continued to trend upwards

A lone bright spot for the Bulls in the loss was the continued confidence of Ball, who scored nine points on 3-for-4 shooting from 3-point range and added four assists, a block and a steal in 17 minutes, 14 seconds the court.

The stat sheet doesn’t fully reflect the ease with which Ball has returned to the lineup. He masters his opponents on offense, quickly navigates screens and creates passes both in the open floor and in the half court that elevate the Bulls to a new level of basketball intelligence. And the guard continues to feel comfortable on his left knee after missing the last two and a half seasons, a positive sign as he hopes to return to full play by the end of the season.

Ball re-entered the game with just under five minutes left, but exited again a minute later to stay under his hard cap – a restriction that became a little stricter after both Ball and Donovan received a little citation from the Bulls’ medical staff for their throw-ins had come under pressure -game decision to lift his minutes restriction last week against the Boston Celtics.

4. Matas Buzelis played the masked crusader

The rookie played with a light face mask on Friday after emerging from Thursday’s win over the San Antonio Spurs with a bruised nose caused by an accidental elbow to the face from LaVine. Bleeding from the impact was so severe that LaVine said he was concerned he had actually broken Buzelis’ nose, although scans showed the rookie suffered no structural damage.

Buzelis finished 2-for-3 from behind the arc, but didn’t land another shot and was visibly afraid to attempt a contested dunk in the third quarter. After the game, Buzelis said the mask restricted his vision and caused additional discomfort that he would like to avoid in the future.

“I won’t wear that thing again,” Buzelis said jokingly.

Originally published: December 6, 2024 at 10:47 pm CST