The Chicago Bulls lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 115-111 at home on Wednesday. They picked up their seventh loss of the year. The loss saw the Bulls’ record slip to 6-7, good for seventh place in the East. They trail the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks by five games (10-1).
This season, the Bulls have struggled while playing elite opposition. In their seven losses, the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Toronto Raptors have all faced teams that may challenge for the championship.
The Chicago Bulls shouldn’t panic just yet, but a few tactical adjustments could help them in the long term.
The Chicago Bulls have so far endured a number of discouraging defeats. Mostly as a result of their failure to deliver when it mattered most. A game in overtime or the final five minutes of the fourth quarter that is within five points is considered clutch time.
With the exception of the lopsided loss to the Cavaliers (128-96), the other six losses have all been by nine points or fewer. It indicates that the club had a chance to win but ultimately fell short.
Chicago Bulls have trouble when it counts
The only team without a clutch victory is the Chicago Bulls, who have a 0-6 record in certain circumstances. They had the third-most critical victories in the league (25) last season. And DeMar DeRozan made NBA history by hitting game-winners on consecutive nights for the first time ever.
The Bulls must start improving their execution and learn from their errors, according to head coach Billy Donovan. DeMar Rozan is the one that executes the most plays in crucial situations. Although he is not as effective as he was in the previous year. DeRozan typically executes iso plays while his teammates watch from behind the 3-point line.
The Chicago Bulls’ opponents are skilled at containing them in crucial late-game circumstances because of their fairly one-dimensional playing style. The Bull’s coaching staff ought to devise plays that incorporate more guys on offence during crucial moments.
It makes little sense to run the late-game plays with just one player when the club has Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and Goran Dragic. Even though it is still early in the season, it is in the franchise’s best interest that the Chicago Bulls find a solution as soon as possible.
A difficult schedule that featured four back-to-back sets in their first 12 games left the Bulls with little time to prepare and correct their issues. LaVine has missed four of the team’s 13 games and three of its six crucial defeats.
Their next back-to-back is planned for December 10. So. they will have time to address their problems and strive to improve their performance under pressure.
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