Billy Donovan was obviously not happy with the three-point shooting in Tuesday’s loss, but was even more disappointed with the lack of effort in the loss to the nine-win Pistons.
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Embarrassment.
Shameful.
Rock bottom.
Pick an adjective or description and throw it at the Bulls. There’s a good chance they won’t feel it. Lifeless teams seldom do. They definitely won’t catch-and-shoot it, especially from three-point range.
In losing to a nine-win Detroit team on Tuesday – and doing so by 10 in the 105-95 defeat at the United Center – the Bulls (27-31) shot an improbable 2-for-29 (6.9%) from three-point range.
That deserves repeating: The Bulls took 29 threes and made two.
But that wasn’t what disappointed coach Billy Donovan. No, he was more upset with the little things they didn’t do despite the poor shooting.
“Certainly 2-for-29 … a total outlier game in terms of that kind of shooting,” Donovan said. “But the other thing too, and I’m hoping we can really learn from a lot of this is it wasn’t like we were down 25 because of it. I thought the loose balls, the hustle plays, the offensive rebounds into transition, we still had opportunities to overcome it.
“I always talk about the things we can control, and I do think that to a certain extent frustration got in a little bit. When things aren’t going your way, you’ve got to manufacture other things to try and offset that.”
The Bulls (27-31), who are now responsible for two of the Pistons’ nine wins, did none of that, and that was on full display late in the second quarter and into the second half.
It only took just over three minutes into the third quarter for the Bulls to turn what should have been an easy night at the arena into yet another head-shaker.
After all, with just over a minute left in the first half, the home team was up 10 and seemingly in complete control.
A few bad possessions and a Cade Cunningham three just before the halftime horn still kept the Bulls up five.
But these Bulls don’t do easy, and that showed up right out of the halftime locker room.
By the time Isaiah Stewart hit a three-pointer at the 8:52 of that third, the game was tied and the Bulls were suddenly in for a grind-it-out fight over the remaining 21 minutes. One that had more downs than ups, thanks to Alex Caruso injuring his right hamstring in the fourth and having to be helped to the bench.
He did eventually return with just under five minutes left in the game and the Bulls down six, but a one-legged Caruso didn’t help.
Another Cunningham three and then the point guard splitting free throws, and just like that the Pistons lead was up to nine.
Caruso was obviously not right so was pulled. Speaking of pulled, so was the rug from underneath the Bulls when Ausar Thompson hit a huge three pointer with 1:58 left to give Detroit the 11-point lead.
“I didn’t like the way he was moving,” Donovan said of taking Caruso back out. “It was my decision.”
If the Bulls did have any wind left the Thompson three seemed to deflate it, as more ugly basketball ensued over the final two minutes.
“It’s disappointing because it’s late in the season,” guard Ayo Dosunmu said. “We understand the importance and sense of urgency we have to play with each and every night. I think we let one slip away. The beauty of basketball is in less than 24 hours we get to lace them back up and play a Cleveland team who beat us three times, and we have some battles with them.”
A good attitude to try and take, but still doesn’t erase not only how the Bulls lost, but who they lost to.
“At the end of the day, Detroit is an NBA team, they have NBA players,” Dosunmu added. “We don’t look at the records.”
Good thing.