What we learned from the Chicago Bulls’ latest loss to the Toronto Raptors

Chicago Bulls problems from the first quarter continued in Toronto

The Chicago Bulls’ weekend did not start well when they lost badly to the Toronto Raptors, 121-108, which resulted in their official elimination from the NBA’s In-Season Tournament. Two lessons can be learned from the Bulls’ most recent loss:

Once more, a slow start to the game
The Bulls’ run of slow starts continued in Toronto as they fell behind by 14 points, 36-22, after the first 12 minutes of play, continuing a trend that has to be stopped immediately. After a couple of technical fouls on the Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan and Andre Drummond, Raptors guard Malachi Flynn made two free throws to extend the lead to 20–44–24. From there, it was all uphill from there.

The Bulls score more points in the first quarter than any other team in the league. This season, Chicago is only scoring 24 points in the first.

Alex Caruso, the team’s defensive guru, stated that before the losing spirals out of control, the team needs to take action to break this worrying habit.

“A lot of times, we wait and try to match the energy of the other team or see what the game is going to be rather than setting the tone ourselves,” Caruso stated.

“We need to make some changes, whether it be in the way players rotate or play. Players must perform at a higher level.”

Zach LaVine became sultry.
Zach LaVine, the guard with the most points in the league, displayed his explosive scoring after sitting out the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. LaVine made 16 of his 23 field goals, good for 36 points. Interestingly, he did not attempt a single free throw during this game, but he did make four three-pointers.

When the Bulls defeated the Raptors 31-28 in the fourth quarter, he scored 12 of the team’s 26 points in the second and 12 more in the third.