Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers: Five Takeaways from the Bulls Loss

With disappointment rapidly becoming the norm in Chicago, the Bulls fell to the Indiana Pacers 111-101. The game took place right in the middle of a new batch of drama involving Fred Hoiberg’s job security, and the end result will likely only make things worse. Let’s break down the game to see if we can determine what exactly went wrong.

It was another eyesore in Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday afternoon as the Indiana Pacers toppled the Chicago Bulls 111-101. The Bulls managed to make it a game for a few minutes in the fourth quarter, but otherwise this contest was firmly in the Pacers’ control from start to finish.

The game started with a 12-4 Pacer run, in which the Bulls had more turnovers than field goal attempts (that would last until about four minutes left in the first quarter), and it ended with a 14-4 Pacer run in which Paul George reminded us that he’s actually pretty great at basketball.

Jeff Teague for the Pacers recorded 17 assists in the game, the most by any Pacer since 2002.

The Bulls had 17 assists total.

Former Bull Aaron Brooks also continued his trend of only playing well against the Bulls, sinking a pair of crucial 3-pointers for Indiana in the second half. Against Chicago this season, Brooks is 7-for-10 from deep. Against everyone else, he’s 14-for-55, about 25 percent.

There’s a lot to unpack from today’s game, so let’s go through some of the most salient points one by one. First up, the defense.

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Lazy, Lazy Defense

The Indiana Pacers are not the Toronto Raptors, but there were times throughout the first half where you wouldn’t have known that. Indiana shot 51 percent in the first half and 48 percent for the game, and put up a frustrating amount of fast break points on the Bulls.

Need I say more?

The Bulls defensive issues have origins that predate this game by a lot of course. We’ve known all season that Robin Lopez can’t guard on the perimeter. It just hasn’t been as visible until Brook Lopez goes 5-for-6 from 3-point range or Myles Turner kills him in the pick-and-roll every time down the court. Solid move on Hoiberg’s part to keep Felicio in the game for most of the second half (more on that later).

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Doug McDermott is unfortunately part of the problem as well. It’s unclear if he or Wade is truly at fault for the above clip, but regardless, Doug needs to be more aware of back door cuts when he’s on defense. If we can see most of them coming from a mile away, he has to be aware enough to prevent them from happening. Doug could benefit from helping a step or two more on drives as well. It’s almost as if he doubts his own ability to close out properly if the ball gets kicked out to his man, but he’s conservative to the point that the defense suffers.

I could spend a while talking about Rondo’s defense, but my heart doesn’t have the strength. Plus, Michael Carter-Williams provided some good intensity at the point guard position in Rondo’s (thankfully prolonged) absence today, so I’ll save it and instead talk about Rondo’s offense.

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Hoiberg sits Rondo

It didn’t take as many games as I expected, but after 10 first half minutes that amounted to zero points, one rebound, one assist, one turnover and three fouls, Fred Hoiberg finally benched Rajon Rondo for the entirety of the second half. Hoiberg opted instead for a combination of Michael Carter-Williams and Jerian Grant.

It was arguably the least questionable decision of Hoiberg’s tenure in Chicago.

We didn’t really need any more, but the evidence continues to pile on with regard to the Bulls being better without Rondo. The one positive about his game that you could point to – his passing – seems to be on its way out the door as well. He still has one made free throw through the entire month of December. 14 games played, and he’s made one more free throw than RJ Hunter.

He’s got a true shooting percentage (a percentage that factors in the importance of 3-pointers and free throws) of 41.2 percent, good for third worst in the NBA among players who have suited up in at least 25 games. The two players ahead of him? Lavoy Allen of the Pacers and Semaj Christon of the Thunder, neither of whom play more than 15 minutes a game.

Rondo’s defensive rating is a dismal 105.3, tied for second worst on team with Isaiah Canaan (who doesn’t play) and just barely in front of Bobby Portis (who also doesn’t play). Let’s hope Rondo starts to have more in common with those two.

If you want to get even more depressed, check out Stephen Noh’s article about Rondo on The Athletic (no subscription, required, but get one anyway if you can).

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Please Start Shooting 3s Doug

This should not be happening.

Here’s a selection of players taking more 3-pointers per game than Doug McDermott (there are 145 to choose from): Joel Embiid, Meyers Leonard, Marc Gasol, Karl-Anthony Towns, DeMarcus Cousins, and Marreese Speights.

Why? He might be struggling from deep so far this season, but Doug has proven that he’s capable of shooting an elite percentage over the course of a season. Why is Doug so hesitant? Why are his teammates setting screens for him that lead to shots 2 feet inside the arc? Why are set plays being run to set up Michael Carter-Williams 3s? There’s no reason for Doug to not be taking at least six attempts from deep per game, and even that seems low to me.

Even if he’s not shooting the ball, having Doug on the floor helps the offense breathe. The Wade-Felicio pick-and-roll that was finding success at the end of the 3rd and the beginning of the fourth fell apart as soon as Doug went to the bench. A spread pick-and-roll doesn’t work with Carter-Williams, sorry.

But we’ve already talked about the price you pay defensively when McDermott plays, so if he’s on the court solely to wave his arms in the corner or fake a drive off a closeout that no one on either side really takes seriously, why is he out there at all? Doug’s 3-point shooting is an offensive weapon that the Bulls desperately need. They should start using it, and not just as a decoy.

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Bright Spot: Felicio Unleashed

Cristiano Felicio #NBAVote

The Brazilian fan favorite locked down the first double double of his career on Friday, and forever captured the hearts of Bulls fans around the globe. That last part might be an exaggeration, but this guy is legitimately beloved, and he shined bright in his 22 minutes.

He proved to be much more capable of handling the Pacers rangy front court than Robin Lopez (who only got 18 minutes). Not only that, but Felicio was working his butt off on the offensive end as well. We already knew that he was the hardest rim-roller on the team, but that was especially true on Friday.

When Cris rolls to the rim, he commits to it and takes defenders with him, which opens the floor tremendously for Wade or Butler to make plays in isolation or for the ball to find an open shooter (or an open Niko) on the perimeter. Lopez, and even Taj Gibson to an extent, wasn’t getting that kind of response on Friday.

A lineup of Wade-Butler-McDermott-Mirotic-Felicio could actually achieve some potency on offense out of the pick-and-roll, but its seen only 6.7 minutes this season, per NBAwowy. Fred seems committed to keeping a traditional point guard on the floor at all times, which is understandable. A lineup like this would have serious issues defensively, as fascinating as it might be on the other end.

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What Happens Now?

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The Bulls are 16-17 after this loss, putting them just barely in the Eastern Conference playoffs. It won’t be hard to be an 8-seed in the East this year. It’s not even a guarantee that you’d need to be over .500. The problem is that, at best, the Bulls will have a 7-10 December (if they beat the Bucks on Saturday, far from a given), and the schedule doesn’t get easier from there. After facing the Hornets on Monday, the Bulls will go up against the Cavs, Raptors, Thunder, Wizards, Knicks, Pelicans, and Grizzlies.

They still have to play the Warriors and Rockets twice, the Cavs and Raptors three more times, and the Clippers one more time. It’s gonna be tough, and the Bulls don’t need off-court drama on top of it.

Enter Marc Stein.

Don’t be surprised if things get bitter real quick in Chicago. Although fans certainly aren’t pushing for Fred to win coach of the year, my guess is that an overwhelming majority would blame Gar/Pax before they even think about blaming Hoiberg. If Hoiberg gets the axe, VP of Basketball Operations John Paxson would be hiring his sixth coach. How many GMs get that chance?

We can certainly hope for the best, but it would be naive not to think that things are likely to get a lot worse in Chicago before they get any better. It’s not out of the question that we look back at 16-17 and think that things really weren’t so bad.

Hold on Bulls fans. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.