On Sunday, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Atlanta Hawks 152-150 in the highest-scoring game of the NBA season thus far, with 302 points. However, while a win is a win, it wasn’t satisfying enough for Bulls’ head coach Billy Donovan.
After the game, Donovan was very plain when critiquing the defense for giving up 150 points, per John Hollinger of The Athletic.
“Look, we’re not a great defensive team,” Donovan said. On Tuesday, the Bulls and Hawks will play again in Atlanta.
Altogether, nine Chicago players scored in double figures. Matas Buzelis led the way with 28 points, and Coby White finished with 21. White was cleared to play after battling an ankle injury. Josh Giddey had 19 points, Kevin Huerter had 16, Isaac Okoro had 14, and Ayo Dosunmu/Nikola Vucevic each had 13.
Tre Jones had 11 points, and Zach Collins had 10.
In the first half, the Bulls allowed 73 points. Furthermore, they allowed the Hawks to dominate in the paint and in transition. Altogether, the Hawks scored 66 points in the paint, 26 fastbreak points, and 57 bench points.
Meanwhile, Jalen Johnson and Trae Young combined for 71 points, 36 for Johnson and 35 for Young.
Also, even though the Bulls shot over 60% in the first half, the Hawks shot 55.6% overall and nearly 50% from the three-point line.
It is no secret that the Bulls aren’t a defensive threat
Anyone paying attention can recognize that the Bulls aren’t a defensive-laden team. They struggle with rim protection, rebounding, and overall consistency.
Their opponents know how to take advantage of the paint, as the Hawks did. At the same time, Chicago doesn’t close out the lane enough, leading to more points in the paint and at the free-throw line.
Also, the Bulls give up too many second-chance points, which in turn hurts their transition game.
Although the Bulls have Tre Jones and Isaac Okoro to bolster the defense, overall they lack consistency.