After grabbing a rebound in the third quarter, Bulls guard Josh Giddey stumbled backward and threw the ball in the direction of forward Julian Phillips and guard Zach LaVine. But there was confusion between the players. No one came up with the ball, and it went out of bounds.
This was a sloppy performance by the Bulls. They were outscored 29-14 by the 76ers in the fourth quarter, partly because of some inexcusable turnovers.
At the 1:44 mark of the fourth, fans started heading for the exits after a careless turnover by LaVine. Nothing seemed to go right for the Bulls in their 109-97 loss Saturday.
The 76ers didn’t play particularly well, though guard Tyrese Maxey routinely torched the Bulls with his quickness and shot-making ability. Maxey shouldered the offensive load for the 76ers down the stretch and finished with 31 points and nine assists.
The 76ers had 25 points off 20 Bulls turnovers. The Bulls had 11 more turnovers than the 76ers.
“We don’t have a great enough margin,” coach Billy Donovan said. “Most teams don’t turn the ball over 20 times and give up 25 points off turnovers. It’s just too much, and some of it is just careless.”
After an inexcusable giveaway by forward Patrick Williams — who had only two points and went 1-for-9 from the field — Sixers forward Kelly Oubre capitalized with a three-pointer, then punctuated the basket with a kiss to the crowd. Entering the game, the Bulls were 19th in turnovers per game (15.1).
“This isn’t the first time it’s happened this year,” guard Lonzo Ball said. “Eventually, we gotta learn from it. Can’t keep saying the same thing, but another game the turnovers hurt us.”
After the Bulls’ 1-2 West Coast trip, home-court advantage wasn’t enough. The loudest the fans cheered all night was when Oubre missed two free throws to give the crowd free Portillo’s.
This defeat was inexcusable and a low point, even for the Bulls. The 76ers were on the second game of a back-to-back and without star center Joel Embiid. Veteran Paul George only played 12:42 before exiting with a pinkie injury, and guard Jared McCain is out for the season with a knee injury. But the 76ers played with energy and effort. The Bulls’ execution just wasn’t there.
They shot 65% from the free-throw line and 31.6% from three-point range.
Bulls center Nikola Vucevic scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. LaVine had 25 points and eight rebounds.
Whether it was careless turnovers or the lackluster defense, the Bulls allowed the 76ers to do whatever they wanted. The Bulls missed easy baskets around the rim and didn’t play physical defense. The game was winnable throughout the fourth quarter, but the Bulls couldn’t stop turning the ball over.
The Bulls are 8-16 at home and 11-11 on the road. The United Center had a sleepy energy — from fans in attendance as well as one of the teams on the court.
“Billy touches on it all the time,” Ball said. “You’re supposed to protect home court, so we should definitely have a winning record here.”
With the Feb. 6 trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Bulls’ direction is becoming clear.