© Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Bulls lose composure and blow 24-point lead in loss to Indiana Pacers
The Chicago Bulls can't get anything going this season.
In a game wherein they got fantastic performances out of Zach LaVine, Coby White, and Nikola Vucevic to offset the absence of DeMar DeRozan and seemingly snapped out of their three-point shooting slump by making 15 triples, the Bulls still lost to the Indiana Pacers, 117-113, for their fifth defeat in a row.
Blown composure
The Bulls looked poised to end their four-game losing run with a fantastic first quarter that saw them clicking on all cylinders to build a huge 24-point lead, 39-15.
The Pacers, though, refused to give up, and in an effort reminiscent of their win over the Bulls last January 24 when they rallied from a 21-point deficit, they came roaring back in the second half. They scored 75 points in the last 24 minutes of action to stun Chicago and send them back to the United Center with a loss.
Deja vu
This loss was eerily similar to the Bulls' 116-110 loss to the Pacers last month. To make a long story short: the Pacers ratcheted up the pressure, and the Bulls folded, said Bulls coach Billy Donovan.
"This has happened a lot to us. We compete pretty hard but the game gets ratcheted up physically, mentally, emotionally. And you have to be able to come down on both ends and be detailed and focused and execute. You have to talk and communicate on defense. And then you have to be able to get into offense and generate as good of shots as you can," said Donovan.
"The intensity level continues to go up, and we've gotta be able to play all the way through," Donovan added. "It's the poise, the composure, understanding time and score."
The Bulls now have a 26-32 record, and the road does not get easier as Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are up next at the United Center on Thursday.
The team will need to find a way to regain their composure and get back on track if they still want to make it to the playoffs. Otherwise, they may be saying goodbye to the postseason sooner than expected.
