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The Chicago Bulls held a 66-49 halftime lead over the Detroit Pistons and led by as many as 21 points in the first half on Friday night, but it wasn't enough, as the Pistons rallied for a 112-104 victory largely due to a 43-point fourth quarter.
After the game, Bulls head coach Jim Boylen put a positive spin on the loss, saying that he hopes his young team will take what they can from the defeat and learn from it:
“I'm hoping this is a learning moment,” said Boylen, according to The Associated Press. “We played about as well in the first half as you can play. … We came out in that third quarter and I thought our energy was poor.”
Chicago scored just 14 points in an anemic third period and totaled just 38 points for the second half overall.
Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 24 and Otto Porter added 23.
The Bulls simply were not able to withstand the onslaught by Blake Griffin, who poured in 16 of his 27 points during the final frame. They also struggled to contain Andre Drummond, who posted 20 points and 24 rebounds. Reggie Jackson added 21.
Chicago fell to 19-48 with the loss, but one cannot deny how well the Bulls have been playing of late.
Since the All-Star break, the Bulls have gone 5-4, including wins over the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. During that stretch, LaVine has been a monster, tallying two 40-point performances and nearly coming up with another one in a 39-point effort in Chicago's victory over the 76ers on Wednesday night.
