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Nikola Vucevic, Bulls rue Coby White’s presence that led to their downfall vs. Clippers: “Losing Coby is a big loss”
As Coby White didn't play because of a mild hip strain, the Chicago Bulls have instantly felt his stinging absence as they faced the Los Angeles Clippers this Thursday.
As the Clippers have consistently hit their shots on all cylinders with 60 percent field goal shooting and 50 percent three-point rate, the shorthanded Bulls meanwhile failed to go toe-to-toe and match their immense firepower. They ended up sustaining a 126-111 loss within the United Center, their third defeat over the last four games.
Badly missing Coby’s play
Upon taking the gut-wrenching loss, Nikola Vucevic can only be blunt about the massive blow that they also endured from Coby's unavailability.
On the night when DeMar DeRozan's heroics weren't glowing, as he ended up with just 21 points in an inconsistent 6-of-16 shooting, the Bulls guard's production and presence could've been a major relief in facing the Clippers.
“Losing Coby is a big loss, not only for his scoring but his presence,” Vooch said, who finished with 19 on the Bulls’ losing effort. “The defense has to focus on him so much. His shot-making, his creating. He’s a big part of what we do, and on top of all the other guys we’re missing, it’s tough.”
Hit the shots efficiently
As Coby has briefly joined Zach LaVine, Pat Williams, and Lonzo Ball on the team's injury chamber, Chicago had no choice but to apply a next-man-up mentality in facing the Clippers. But Billy Donovan wants greater consistency coming from his Bulls squad as they move forward and regroup with 15 games remaining.
“We gonna miss Coby's scoring. We got basically those guys [out in] Coby, Patrick, and Zach. So the other guys have had to step up. At times, we're fighting for consistency. I think we have to fight for consistency,” Donovan said in postgame.
“But I like the way our guys competed tonight.”
