The Chicago Bulls are mired in a tough stretch with losses in four of their last six games, and will receive little to no sympathy from the Washington Wizards.
The Bulls look to get back on track in an NBA Cup East Group C game on Tuesday night when they visit the nation’s capital to face the Wizards, who have lost 11 in a row.
While Washington routinely has found itself on the wrong side of the scoreboard of late, Chicago is keeping the scoreboard operator busy given the generosity of its defense.
Case in point: The Bulls dropped a 142-131 decision to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, marking the third time the team has allowed an opponent to reach 140 points in the last six games. Chicago is permitting an NBA-worst 123.9 points per game this season — just ahead of the Wizards (122.9) — heading into play on Monday.
“At some point, we’ve got to hold our ground,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “I said before the season even started that defense was going to be a challenge, and it is. I think there are times that we have to look at the controllables.
“Is it fixable? Defense is a talent. It’s no different than offense, in my opinion. There are guys that are talented defensively. We’re going to have to figure out a way to do it collectively. There are moments in time, moments of truth where you are going to be on an island, you are going to be by yourself. You’re going to have to make the guy make a couple of different moves.”
Zach LaVine pumped in 29 points on Saturday night to lead Chicago in scoring for the third straight game. He is averaging a team-best 22.7 points per game this season.
Nikola Vucevic added 26 points and eight rebounds against Memphis. He is averaging a team-leading 9.7 boards per contest to go along with 20.5 points.
Rookie Matas Buzelis added a career-high 14 points on Saturday for the Bulls, who were unable to overcome the Grizzlies shooting a robust 57.3 percent from the floor and 45.2 percent from 3-point range.
The Wizards’ woeful streak started after they recorded a home-and-home sweep of the Atlanta Hawks in late October.
Rookie Alexandre Sarr collected 14 rebounds and matched Bilal Coulibaly with 17 points in a 115-103 setback to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
Malcolm Brogdon, who scored 15 points, provided a calming influence given the team’s considerable troubles.
“When things go awry or things are feeling sticky … Malcolm is a surefire way for us to get back in the groove of what we’re trying to do,” teammate Corey Kispert said Saturday, per the Washington Post.
Rookie Kyshawn George recorded 15 points and five rebounds while starting in place of Jordan Poole, who sat out his first game of the season due to left hip flexor soreness.
George has scored in double figures in seven games this season and grabbed at least five rebounds in six contests.
–Field Level Media
