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Chicago Bulls loses to the Orlando Magic in heartbreaking fashion

The Chicago Bulls' crunchtime woes continued on Wednesday night against the Magic.
Nick Raguz|
© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

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The Chicago Bulls scratched and clawed to get back into a game they fell behind in by as much as 19 only for Paolo Banchero to rip their hearts out, as he hit a turnaround jumper with 1.4 seconds remaining to give the Orlando Magic a 96-94 victory on Wednesday night at the United Center.

The loss was the Bulls’ second in a row, dropping them to 4-8. The Magic, on the other hand, rose to 6-5.

Courageous comeback attempt

The Bulls trailed by 13 early in the fourth quarter and were still down by eight, 92-84 after Banchero swished a straightaway triple with 2:08 remaining. After a split from the line by Banchero put the Magic up five, 93-88, Bulls guard Zach LaVine canned a three-pointer to trim the deficit to two with 17.1 seconds left on the clock.

The door remained open for the Bulls as Magic rookie Anthony Black made one of two from the line for a 94-91 Orlando lead. LaVine then tied the game with another triple.

However, there were still 7.2 seconds left on the clock, which was plenty of time for Banchero to back down Alex Caruso and score the game-winning jumper with 1.4 seconds to go.

The Bulls had a decent shot at a potential game-winning three as Bulls forward Patrick Williams received the long pass from Caruso at halfcourt. However, the young big man dribbled the ball twice and failed to get a shot off before the final buzzer sounded.

Horrendous first half

The Bulls’ offensive woes reached historic depths in the first half when they scored just 33 points, which was the lowest-scoring first half since January 1, 2021, when they scored 33 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

It was also the worst shooting first-half for the Bulls in the last five years. Chicago shot just 26.8 percent from the field in the first 24 minutes of action, barely beating the 26.2 percent that they registered against the Miami Heat back on November 23, 2018.

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Nick Raguz
NICK RAGUZ

Nick's journey has been an exciting fusion of basketball and the written word. A former basketball player himself, he possesses an insatiable appetite for all things NBA-related, spanning from the captivating tales of old-school NBA to intriguing statistics and the latest updates from the association.

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