Nikola Vucevic apologizes to the fans after the Chicago Bulls suffered their fifth straight defeat, a 113-103 home loss against the Brooklyn Nets yesterday.
The two-time NBA All-Star had a rough night shooting, going 6-for-18 from the field en route to 16 points, 11 rebounds, and two steals, while turning the ball over six times.
‘‘Rough game for me,” Vucevic told the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley. “Didn’t play very well, and the team didn’t play very well. You get down, and you’re losing, frustration is going to show. I didn’t have a good game and was frustrated, mainly with myself. I wasn’t doing my job, so that’s it.’’
Josh Giddey was the lone bright spot in the double-digit loss, as the Australian international notched a triple-double with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists on 10-for-14 shooting from the field and 9-for-11 shooting from the free throw line.
Injuries continue to haunt the Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are on a slump because they’ve been missing several key players. Against the Brooklyn Nets, the team was without Coby White, Jalen Smith, Tre Jones, Isaac Okoro, Zach Collins, and Kevin Huerter. At the same time, rookie Noa Essengue remains a long-term absentee, following a season-ending shoulder surgery.
‘‘You do have players like Matas, like Vooch, like Josh and Ayo that have absorbed a lot of minutes,’’ head coach Billy Donovan said. ‘‘So we’ve got to come up with something for those guys. What do they need?”
‘‘Then you’ve got guys like Zach Collins, maybe Isaac, different players that need some practice time. We’ve got to map that out pretty well. I don’t think we’ll have everyone together,” he continued.
