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The Chicago Bulls are now 11-22 in clutch games, or games that are defined as within 5 points with 5 minutes to play, NBC Sports Chicago Bulls Insider K.C. Johnson wrote in a Sunday tweet.
They went 25-16 in clutch games last season.
Chicago dropped to 12th in the Eastern Conference after a 125-122 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton made a 30-foot 3-point shot after the game was tied at 122-122 with just 2.1 seconds remaining. Bulls center Nikola Vucevic tried to respond with a 3-pointer of his own, to no avail, leaving Chicago with their first home loss since they fell to the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 16.
“We got guys who can put the ball in the basket,” said Bulls guard Patrick Beverley, who guarded Haliburton on the final shot, via ESPN. “We just have to rebound it. That's what it was. We lost it on offensive rebounding.”
The Bulls have won one game and lost two against the Central Division rival, according to Basketball Reference. Their last win against the Pacers was a 124-109 victory in the United Center on Oct. 26, when all five starters scored in double digits and guard Goran Dragić added 13 off the bench.
Head coach Billy Donovan gave an answer about why the goal would be to push for the playoffs, highlighting the “integrity of competition” in late February.
“It's always been about that,” said Donovan. “Just about going out there and doing the very best we can do as a group with a focus on getting the results that we want.
“I'd never had a situation from ownership, the front office that has said ‘Listen, we got an opportunity to potentially manipulate or get a higher draft pick. Let's sit these guys. Let's play the younger guys, give them an opportunity.'”
The Bulls will tip off against the Denver Nuggets at 8 p.m. CST on Wednesday in Ball Arena. The game will be broadcasted on NBC Sports Chicago.
