The Chicago Bulls were completely overwhelmed by the Suns by a score of 132-113 in Phoenix on Wednesday.
The result dropped the season record to 9-12.
Below are nine observations.
1. Zach LaVine shot 34.5% from the field and shot 31.5% from 3-point range, his sixth consecutive game below 41% shooting. He scored 21 points on his 7-of-15 shooting in this game.
But these stats came in a non-impact way.
After all, in the first half, Lavigne scored seven points by shooting 1-for-6 from the field and going 5-for-6 from the free-throw line. And he was on the floor with the reserve crew from the 3:08 mark in the first quarter to the 8:47 mark in the second quarter as the Suns extended their 25-20 lead to 41-29.
Despite scoring 14 goals and shooting 6-of-9 in the second half, Lavigne has yet to show his past and is lacking in shot selection at key moments in the game. . He was team-lowest -17.
2. There was a time in their respective careers when LaVine and Devin Booker were equal players. more than this.
You don’t need Wednesday night’s game to draw that conclusion, but Booker still scored points with a spectacular performance. His composure was outstanding in the midrange, where he shot 7-9 against the likes of Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams.
The most disappointing quarter was the third quarter. Booker scored his 10 points in 2 minutes and 44 seconds in the first, extending his halftime total of 25 points to 35. And after the Bulls timeout, Billy his Donovan Derrick He was substituting for Jones Jr. — looking for defensive answers — Booker flew his jumper directly to the inn fallaway. Also his grill. He finished this quarter with his 26 points and this steal and slam put him above 50 points.
The Suns superstar scored 51 points on 20-for-25 shooting (6-7 from 3-point range) and added six assists in 31 minutes. Though he was unconscious and shook a lot of the field, the often injured Bulls had nothing close to an answer for him.
3. To make matters worse for the Bulls, DeAndre Ayton proved to be a capable wingman for Booker while Chris Paul and Kam Johnson were sidelined. He racked up a 30-point, 16-rebound double-double while shooting 11-for-18 from the field and 8-for-9 from the free-throw line. His nine of them were in the paint, and his athletic superiority over Nikola Vucević was evident.
Four. The Suns play a beautiful brand of basketball that is premised on ever-present ball and player movement and agile decision-making. The Bulls’ defense has performed better than expected so far this season, but the defensively ranked 10th in the league in his ratings.
Phoenix shot 52.1% and had 22 assists in the game, giving him a season-high 132 points against a Bulls opponent. It felt like an evening at the office.
Five. The hosts also gained a considerable advantage over the three-point arc. His 15-for-33 (45.5%) mark from their distance represents his 33-point gap with his 4-for-25 (16%) on the Bulls, and 3 points he is making and the percentage It marked his one-game season low.
That’s a problem the Bulls, who rank 29th in the NBA in 3-point attempt percentage outside of garbage time, often run into, but on this night they were able to make up for points from free throws, paint touches and turnovers. I could not do it. It was a victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday.
6. DeMar DeRozan was almost the lone bright spot for the Bulls, scoring 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting and drawing eight free-throw attempts. It wasn’t enough after that to get the Bulls closer to double digits or more.
7. Another slightly positive element: After shooting 2-4 from 3-point range on Wednesday, Caruso has gone 19-43 (44.2%) from deep since Oct. 24. First three games of the season. With his 38.5% of the season, he is well ahead of his 36.6% of his career mark.
8. It didn’t make much sense in the big scope of the game, but Donovan used the coach’s challenge in a strange way. But with the sole advantage of taking one free-throw attempt from the board late in the third of a 20-point game and wiping out Caruso’s third foul, Donovan used the challenge anyway. I failed.
9. With wins over the Boston Celtics (twice), the Milwaukee Bucks (on the road) and the Miami Heat (who struggled to start the season but remain reigning Eastern Conference finalists), the Bulls In 2021–22, they lost 2–21 to the top four Eastern Conference teams.
This game defies that trend.
The Bulls were unable to get back within shouting distance after taking a double-digit lead in the second quarter. Midway through the third quarter he only cut a 23-point deficit to 14, even on an 11-2 run.
No, the Suns looked in another stratosphere on Wednesday, losing two starters.
Next up is the reigning NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, on Friday.
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