Bulls Defiant, Not Demoralized, After Blowout Loss to Heat

Bulls defiant, not demoralized, after loss to Heat originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

MIAMI — Defiant, not demoralized.

That was the postgame mood of the Chicago Bulls following their 112-99 beatdown by the Miami Heat, a game so one-sided that the final score didn’t do it justice.

The Bulls didn’t respond to the opening tip with eight first-quarter turnovers, committed a five-second violation out of a timeout and trailed by as many as 24 to fall two games behind the Heat in the Eastern Conference standings.

The loss continued the trend of the Bulls struggling to a 6-15 record against top-six teams from both conferences.

“Not a concern at all,” DeMar DeRozan said.

Why not?

“What for?” DeRozan responded. “I just have the utmost confidence in the guys. I do. And as these next couple weeks go by, being able to get guys back, that’s going to be another second wind for us — emotionally, physically. And just even more change the spirit of the team once we get those guys come back as well.

“Even before those guys come back, I’m not worried. But I know once those guys come back, the energy of this team is definitely going to heighten up even more.”

Alex Caruso looks like he’s ready to run through a brick wall while coaching and supporting teammates from the bench in street clothes.

“Yeah, and what he brings when he put on a jersey, everybody gotta follow AC,” DeRozan said.

This has been an overachieving season for the Bulls. But they’re starting to count on a lot to go right down the stretch.

The returns of Caruso, Patrick Williams and Lonzo Ball undeniably make the Bulls deeper, tougher, more defensive-minded. But coach Billy Donovan has talked about how one of the hardest things to do is incorporate injured players back into the rotation.

And until then, while facing a withering schedule, players needing to take on larger roles is starting to catch up to the Bulls.

The Heat attacked Nikola Vučević defensively, sped the Bulls up offensively with switching defense and active hands, and generally played as though they were in a different class. And for anyone who pointed to the Bulls’ absences, well, the Heat played without Kyle Lowry and Markieff Morris — and with Victor Oladipo on a G League assignment.

“We have to get battle-tested and we just don’t have a lot of guys who have gone into this kind of experience,” Donovan said. “And I think it’s really, really good for us. I look at it that way. It’s not concerning as much as it’s shining a lot on what really goes into this.”

The Bulls didn’t shoot well until garbage time produced a flurry of baskets to make their percentages slightly more palatable. That happens.

What can’t happen is getting beat downcourt after a missed 3-pointer. Or the five-second violation. Or failing to match the Heat’s physicality.

“Shot fake discipline leaving our feet. Fouls. Contesting a shot and leaking out and not coming up with a long rebound. Pick-and-roll coverage — getting turned down when the ball needs to be directed towards the screen. All those things over a period of time add up,” Donovan said. “When you’re playing against elite teams, you gotta have that consistency. We haven’t been consistent enough.”

DeRozan said the team is eager to watch film and get back in the gym. Vučević said attention to detail must improve.

This is a serious-minded team. It typically meets challenges by working. That trend will need to continue if the Bulls want these shortcomings against elite teams to change.

“Sometimes you need adversity to understand what you’re really made of and how hard it really is to win in this league,” DeRozan said. “It’s one thing to be good. And it’s another thing to really win. And we see it when we play against a team like tonight — well-coached, play together, just two years ago they were in the Finals. We learn a lot from that.”

The Bulls will need to.

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