The Bulls had the opportunity to avenge last season's elimination, and finally, as in 2023, Billy Donovan's players lost against the Heat, when it was time to punch their ticket to the playoffs. It's a second season without playoffs for DeMar DeRozan's teammates, and last night, they were betrayed by another slump (a 19-0 in the first quarter!) and their clumsiness: 38% on shots, including 30% at 3-points.
“DeMar was the only one to score points in the first half” regrets Billy Donovan. “It was difficult for us, from the moment we were unable to score points, while they were scoring points. These matches will always be like this: they will be ugly and difficult to play. Could we have been better in these areas? Probably. I wouldn’t say we were perfect, but our guys tried to be competitive.”
A 10 out of 39 on shots for the three backs
After his 42 points against the Hawks, Coby White failed: 5 of 16 on shots. X factor against these same Hawks, Ayo Dosunmu had one of his worst career matches: 3 out of 15 on shots. Present despite his sprain, Alex Caruso did barely better with a 2 out of 8 on the shoot.
However, the Bulls had started with a 4 out of 5 shots, but the rest would be much, much more complicated… They conceded a 19-0 then missed 26 out of 35 shots when returning to the locker room.
“There were times when our guys tried to mix things up a little, get on the rebound and create second chance opportunities. Our players tried to fight in a very, very difficult match in terms of shooting” continues Billy Donovan.
The Bulls have had no continuity for several seasons
In the end, the Bulls are in their place. They finished 9th in the regular season, once again undermined by injuries: Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams. Difficult to do better with three fewer starters.
“I speak for myself, but I have the feeling that we should create some sort of continuity with this group. It's, in a way, the most important thing, and we never get there.” concludes the coach. “We couldn't do it because we were, basically, with two fewer starters. I know that every time, I say that we still have what we need in the squad. Given what happened to us, it could have been a disastrous season, and the guys put us on the doorstep of the playoffs. At a match… My plan is to see what happens with this whole group. »
