SALT LAKE CITY — The final stretch of the Chicago Bulls' season is focused on learning lessons — how to beat top teams, how to manage constant injuries, how to mature a group of inexperienced players into the highest caliber of competition.
In February, coach Billy Donovan welcomed the challenge of a schedule packed with top contenders from both conferences. But the Bulls are now 4-7 since the All-Star break, nursing injuries and inconsistencies as they struggle to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference standings.
After losing 125-110 to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night to fall a half-game behind the fourth-place Boston Celtics in the East, the Bulls have reached a make-or-break crux of the season — overcome the challenge or collapse under the weight of it.
“The reality of it is looking in our face,” Donovan said. “It’s about how we have to respond to it. We have a long, long way to go in these moments, but this is what we have to go through. ... Our guys are playing hard. They’re trying, they don’t give up, they battle, they fight. But I’m hoping we learn some lessons sooner or later.”
The Bulls hung within five points through the first half, but the game cracked open after a blazing third quarter of shooting by Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, who finished with 37 points.
Mitchell scorched the Bulls from behind the arc, hitting 7 of 9 3-pointers in the third quarter. The performance was two off Klay Thompson’s NBA record of nine 3-pointers in one quarter.
Mitchell scored 25 of the Jazz’s 35 points in the third, almost single-handedly fending off the Bulls’ highest-scoring quarter (32) of the game.
“We had a really hard time tonight controlling the ball,” Donovan said. “Our guards could not get the ball under control at all. They really had their way with us.”
The Bulls nearly found a counter in Zach LaVine, who landed in Utah eager to erase any tentativeness from his play after feeling frustrated by his performance in Monday’s loss in Sacramento.
LaVine led the Bulls with 33 points — his 15th 30-point performance of the season — slashing to the rim more confidently in the first half. But his left knee wouldn’t leave him alone for long.
During nearly every dead ball in the fourth quarter, LaVine pulled his knee toward his chest, flexing his leg to test its mobility. Donovan eventually noticed LaVine limping slightly on the knee and pulled him out of the game, ending the guard’s night while the Jazz held a 16-point lead.
LaVine wasn’t the only Bull affected by a lingering injury. Alex Caruso also left the game in evident discomfort in the fourth quarter, cradling his right wrist in his third game back after surgery to repair a fracture in January.
Caruso said his wrist is sore by the end of each game, comparing the pain to a bruise. Although the soreness affects his play, Caruso said it was an expected byproduct of an “aggressive” recovery schedule to get him back on the court as quickly as possible.
Although Caruso’s return has helped the Bulls restore vigor to their defense, the guard made a series of uncharacteristic mistakes, turning the ball over three times in the first half.
“I’m not 100%. I’m not going to lie to you,” Caruso said. “But it’s really just trying to get more so (adjusted) to the rhythm of the game. I try not to make excuses, but that’s seven weeks. It’s tough.”
Injuries created a burden, but they weren’t the ultimate cause of the Bulls’ loss — that fell on the defense, which has been a thorn in the team’s side for months after a dominant start to the season.
The Bulls continued to be out-shot at the free-throw line (29 attempts to 17) and to fail to rotate effectively when the Jazz played inside out. When Donovan attempted to use traps to isolate the Jazz guards, the Bulls didn’t close out quickly enough to cut off entry passes.
And they weren’t consistent even in areas of growth. Donovan noted the Bulls had improved their shot-fake discipline, only to foul a pair of 3-point shooters in the second half to give up six free throws.
The Bulls are 2-16 against teams with better records than them, and they won’t see any relief soon. They play the Phoenix Suns (first in the West), Toronto Raptors (seventh in the East) and Milwaukee Bucks (second in the East) in a five-day span.
“They’re coming,” Donovan said. “It’s coming.”
After falling from first to fifth in the East in a matter of months, the question now is more pressing: Will the next 13 games be enough time for the Bulls to make those adjustments before the playoffs?
“The lesson being learned is obviously our margin of error isn’t that big,” LaVine said. “We’re competing. We’re close. But we’re not getting a win. And that’s what matters. We have to figure out what that factor is to help us get over the hump because until then, it’s all for nothing.”
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