The Memphis Grizzlies outlasted the Chicago Bulls in a 116-110 thriller that came down to the wire Saturday night. Ja Morant finished with a season-high 46-points, shooting an impressive 53.6 percent from the field, and going 3 of 4 from deep. The Bulls tried to mount a comeback late in the fourth quarter, getting to within one point of Memphis several times, but the effort was too little, too late from the Bulls as DeMar DeRozan put up 30-plus points for the 10th straight game (31 points).
The loss put the Bulls one game back of the No. 1-seeded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference with a 39-22 record, while the Grizzlies improved to 42-20 and pulled to within two games of the Golden State Warriors for the No. 2 spot in the West. Here’s three takeaways from the electrifying finish that saw Morant and DeRozan going shot for shot down the final stretch of the game.
Morant was unstoppable
It didn’t really matter who the Bulls threw in front of Morant, he couldn’t be deterred from putting points on the board. It became so dire that Chicago opted to throw double teams at him, which worked to some degree in the fourth quarter as the Bulls tried to stage a comeback, but Morant remained calm and continued to knock down big shots down the stretch.
From start to finish Morant had complete control over the game, which was highlighted by several jaw-dropping buckets, like this dazzling 360 layup that he made look ridiculously easy:
It was Morant’s fifth 40-point plus game of the season, and his highest scoring total of the year. His 46 points was also a franchise regular-season record for points in a game. On a night where he got minimal support from his teammates on offense, Morant shouldered the offensive responsibility with ease.
“He’s a really good player, obviously,” Bulls guard Coby White said. “He’s really good at those in-between shots that you kind of want to give up in your defense. The contested floaters, contested in-between mid ranges, and those are the shots he was good at [tonight], and he was really good getting downhill…Once he gets it going, he’s hard to stop.”
Morant exposed Chicago’s defense at every turn, getting to the rim with ease, and finishing at an efficient rate in the process. The way Morant sliced and diced the Bulls’ defense showed just how sorely Chicago misses the likes of Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso as perimeter defenders. Chicago tried throwing rookie Ayo Dosunmu at Morant, who couldn’t stay in front of the shifty guard for a majority of the game. The same goes for Javonte Green, who tried to contain the All-Star guard, but couldn’t get the job done. Though Chicago has struggled defensively since Caruso and Ball went down with significant injuries, Morant’s performance tonight was really a testament to how special he’s been all season.
Bulls continue to struggle against elite teams
After the loss to the Grizzlies, the Bulls now drop to 2-11 against the teams with the top eight records in the league, a jarring stat given how successful Chicago has generally been this season. Against the top four teams in the West specifically, the Bulls are just 1-5, with the lone win coming against the Utah Jazz in the sixth game of the season. Prior to the All-Star break, LaVine joked that it’s a good thing that the Bulls wouldn’t have to face any teams from the Western Conference until the Finals, and given how much they’ve struggled against those teams, he certainly has a point.
“We didn’t play the right way from the first through the third quarter,” LaVine said. “Our attention to detail and energy was really good in the fourth when we were trying to get back into the game, but you can’t rely on guys to get you back into the game and win the game in the fourth quarter against good teams. It’ll happen sometimes like we’ve done before, but it won’t happen all the time.”
Against the Grizzlies, the Bulls couldn’t get enough help outside of guys named DeRozan and LaVine. Vucevic finished the night with 11 points, eight of which came in the first quarter, and though Coby White knocked down some clutch points in the fourth quarter to help DeRozan in the comeback, it was too little too late for the Bulls.
Chicago also manhandled on the glass, getting out-rebounded 61-41, in large part because of Grizzlies’ big man Steven Adams’ aggressiveness on the offensive boards. Adams finished the night with 21 rebounds, 13 of which came on the offensive glass, which resulted in 20 second-chance points for the Grizzlies.
Adams’ ability to get rebounds with ease against the Bulls speaks to an ongoing issue Chicago has had with its depth in the frontcourt all season long. With second-year forward Patrick Williams still sidelined, and Derrick Jones Jr. recently returning right before the All-Star break from a fractured finger, Chicago has been thin behind Vucevic in the frontcourt. The addition of Tristan Thompson via the buyout market should help the Bulls with that issue over time, but he’s still getting ingrained with the team.
But the Bulls’ inability to pull out wins against elite teams in the league comes down to more than just their lack of frontcourt depth. They often find themselves in a hole, like the 17-point deficit they found themselves in at one point against the Grizzlies, and spend the rest of the game playing catch up. That’s an issue Chicago will need to fix it wants to stand a chance against the best teams in the league.
DeRozan extends 30-point streak to 10 games
It wasn’t the prettiest of games for DeRozan, who prior to the loss against the Grizzlies had eight-straight games where he shot 50 percent or better from the field. He finished the night with 31 points on a rough 10 of 29 from the field, but when it came time to put the team on his back, DeRozan answered the call. He scored 13 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter before getting ejected with five seconds remaining in the game and was the reason why the Bulls were even challenging the Grizzlies down the stretch.
“DeMar did not have a great shooting night tonight, but what he’s done for the entire year, what he’s done for long stretches, it’s been absolutely remarkable,” Donovan said.
It’s not surprising that DeRozan managed to overcome his shooting woes when the fourth quarter rolled around given how special he’s been in the final frame of action all season long. DeRozan ranks second in the league behind Giannis Antetokounmpo in points scored in the fourth quarter this season (8.5), and is fourth in the league in clutch scoring, averaging four points in the final two minutes of the game.
But unlike the countless times that the All-Star forward has bailed the Bulls out in tight games, DeRozan’s fourth-quarter heroics weren’t enough to stave off a big night from Morant and quality defense from the Grizzlies. While DeRozan’s scoring prowess in clutch situations is a blessing for the Bulls, their loss against Memphis showed that they can’t always rely on his brilliance to win them games.
