Bulls 'own it' after getting embarrassed by Pistons in blowout
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CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls were missing so many open 3-pointers and layups that Nikola Vucevic decided to have a little fun against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.
The two-time All-Star center raised his arms in mock celebration when he hit a short hook late in the first half. Fans got into it, too.
Other than that, there wasn't much for them to cheer.
The Bulls got blown out 132-92 in their most lopsided loss of the season, and the final few weeks could be particularly rough for a transitioning team that traded two-time All-Star Zach LaVine prior to the deadline.
“We have to own it,” coach Billy Donovan said. “You know what I mean? The thing to me in these situations is there's no excuses. There's no anything. We have to own it. It's part of some of these young guys' growth, honestly. We've got to grow up in some ways.”
The Bulls set a franchise record by missing their first 20 3-pointers, eclipsing their previous mark of 17 on Nov. 9, 2004, against Phoenix and Feb. 2, 2020, against Charlotte. They were 10 of 47 from beyond the arc in the game and shot 35% overall from the field.
Chicago had just two players score in double figures, with Matas Buzelis leading with 12 points and Josh Giddey finishing with 11.
Coby White, who came in averaging just under 19 points, scored a season-low five. He missed all eight 3-pointers and finished 2 for 13 from the field.
It was just that kind of night for the Bulls.
Chicago didn't hit a 3 until Ayo Dosunmu buried one from the wing with 1:28 remaining in the first half. Vucevic had his moment on Chicago's previous possession, when he trimmed Detroit's lead to a mere 43 points. He was simply relieved to see the ball drop through the net, and the crowd was, too.
“We all want to see the ball go through the hoop and we all want to score,” said Vucevic, who had eight points. "It's not always easy. You try to kind of force your way out of it, and you try to find ways to score. We were getting some good looks. We just couldn't make them."
The Bulls were 10th in the Eastern Conference at 22-32 and could be in for some rough times the rest of the way.
Chicago parted with six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso last offseason and made another big move prior to last week's trade deadline by sending Zach LaVine to Sacramento. The Kings shipped De'Aaron Fox to San Antonio, and the Bulls acquired full rights to their 2025 first-round draft pick from the Spurs. The Bulls had dealt that pick to San Antonio as part of a sign-and-trade for DeRozan in 2021, though it was top-10 protected.
One player who stayed put was the 34-year-old Vucevic. He was the first major addition under executive vice president of basketball of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, when the Bulls acquired him from Orlando at the 2021 deadline.
DeRozan, Caruso and Lonzo Ball arrived after that season. With LaVine and Vucevic already in place, the Bulls thought they had the makings of a championship contender.
“I'm OK,” said Vucevic, whose name came up in trade rumors. “It's never fun to go through all that. ... I think it's been an adjustment for everybody. I just have to be better.”
The Bulls, meanwhile, were simply trying to flush this loss. They play Detroit again in Chicago on Wednesday, so there wasn't much time to dwell on things.
“I'm confident in the group, the character of these guys where we come in, we own the loss,” Giddey said. “We own what happened tonight. But we got to put it in the bin quickly and move forward to tomorrow.” ___
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