It’s hard to definitively say this was rock bottom, whereas it could have easily been said in any of the past five games.
The Chicago Bulls did not play at all in the first half and were unable to recover from a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter, and finally defeated the Brooklyn Nets, who had already won five games, 113-103.
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This is the Bulls’ second five-game losing streak this season.
The fans at the United Center rallied behind Darren Terry’s effort and intensity and may have even believed in the chance of victory as it was more than just a mirage against a bottom side they should have beaten with ease.
After a challenging start to the season, the Bulls are facing an easier stretch. The Bulls are 8-7 after a strong start, but the Bulls have a chance to pick up a few wins against the dregs of the NBA: the Wizards, Pelicans, Hornets, Pacers and Nets. The game against the Orlando Magic, sandwiched between the Pacers and Nets, is the only opponent with a record above .500.
Can a 5-1 run put them back in the top six in the Eastern Conference?
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It seems funny to say they were 1-5 on the season and now fall to 9-12.
To add insult to injury, rookie Noah Essenger will miss the season due to left shoulder surgery.
More than a quarter of the NBA season has passed, and the Bulls have shown their true colors. 5-0 fun Josh Giddy Will continue to get triple-doubles. But they’ve completely abandoned the qualities that made them one of the feel-good stories of season one in the first place. They may go through another intense phase of recapturing lightning in a bottle, but larger specimens are terrifying.
Next: The Bulls will host the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.
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— Will Gottlieb
Listen to CHGO’s Bulls postgame live stream:
Cancel cobbler.
As if Donovan’s pregame media announcement that “Esenger is having season-ending shoulder surgery” wasn’t bad enough… then we all had to watch this game. In the most literal sense, it adds insult to injury.
I know the Bulls have been shorthanded the past few games. Even more than usual. I don’t care. The effort and execution are brutal. And against most of the bottom players in the league. If your team’s “strength” is supposed to be depth and your team is missing a lot of guys…that’s just a bad team. The Bulls are in terrible shape right now. Will they be that bad when they “hope” to get some people back soon? Maybe. But I bet it still sucks.
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Anthony Davis or Giannis Antetokounmpo, anyone? I’d rather have a great player who’s injured than a team that’s full of talent but…also injured.
Shout out to Giddy. He did his job tonight. This leads to a question I’ve been wrestling with since that trade in the summer of 2024: If Gidi is your team’s best player…how good is your team?
— Matt Pike
If I were at Cal, I would be booing this team from the beginning of the second quarter.
What a terrible first half of basketball. The Nets shot 41% from the field and 29% from three-point range, but still led by 10%!
Giddy was pissed and of course I loved it. He was tired of losing and really tried his best. But he can’t do it alone.
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Julian Phillips is solid. The game doesn’t look too fast and he knows his role: run the ball, stay athletic and shoot the corner threes.
I know the Bulls have injuries. Keep in mind that the Bulls are not fully healthy yet this season. No one cares about that when they’re winning, so I’m not going to use that as an excuse for that kind of effort on the field.
— big dave
