The Chicago Bulls couldn’t rustle up any fourth-quarter magic without All-Star forward DeMar DeRozan, who missed his first game of the season in Wednesday’s 100-97 road loss to the Washington Wizards.
The game devolved into a scramble with 40 seconds remaining and the Bulls trailing by three after Coby White fumbled the ball between his legs. Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso crashed to the hardwood to twice wrench the ball out of the arms of Wizards players before securing possession and calling a timeout.
With one second left on the shot clock, Zach LaVine launched a tying 3-pointer with 29.2 seconds remaining. But the Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma answered with a 3-pointer of his own, sinking the game-winner with 5.2 seconds remaining.
The Bulls are 8-15 in games with a margin of five or fewer points in the final five minutes, continuing a trend of dropping close games.
The lows
— The Bulls took a 13-point lead into halftime and stretched that margin to 16, but that was the end of their third-quarter momentum. The Wizards erased the deficit by outscoring the Bulls 41-21 in the quarter to take an 87-80 lead into the fourth. Monte Morris led the surge with 15 of his 17 points.
— The Bulls needed their entire roster to step up to replace DeRozan’s scoring but didn’t get consistent bench points. White scored 13 on 5-of-11 shooting, but Derrick Jones Jr. (seven points) and Goran Dragić (four) were the only other reserves who scored.
— Neither team shot well behind the arc in a sloppy, low-scoring game. Both teams were 0 for 5 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter until LaVine and Kuzma made their 3s in the final minute. The Bulls finished 9 for 29 and the Wizards 7 for 23.
The highs
— LaVine took on the offensive burden of absorbing the loss of DeRozan’s 26.1 points per game, scoring 38 on 15-of-28 shooting and going 4 for 11 from 3-point range. Center Nikola Vučević added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
— Despite a sluggish start on both ends of the court, the Bulls ended the first half on a 19-6 run to take a 13-point lead into the locker room. The run was highlighted by scoring from LaVine and Vučević, who took advantage of the Wizards’ lack of size to pound the ball through the paint.
The missing piece
DeRozan missed his first game of the season after straining his right quadriceps.
The injury forced him to exit Monday’s loss to the Boston Celtics in the third quarter after tripping on the parquet floor and tweaking a lingering injury. DeRozan told reporters in Boston he had been quietly playing through the injury for the previous eight games, dating to late December.
DeRozan traveled with the Bulls to Washington on Tuesday, using the day off to focus on recovery. He was optimistic about his likelihood to play against the Wizards but was listed as doubtful on the Bulls injury report at midday Wednesday before being ruled out two hours before the game.
Coach Billy Donovan told reporters in Washington that DeRozan still was experiencing discomfort in his quad but that the Bulls medical staff did not believe it was a “major strain or major tear.”
DeRozan, who started the first 41 games, prides himself on his durability and ability to play through minor tweaks, saying he refuses to sit out unless the medical staff deems it absolutely necessary. He averaged 26.9 points and five assists in the nine games he played while nursing the quad injury.
DeRozan missed only six games last season due to two bouts with COVID-19 and a coaching decision to sit starters for the regular-season finale ahead of the playoffs.
“If I leave out of a game, it’s something serious,” DeRozan said. “I play through a lot that I don’t mention. My whole career, I’ve been stubborn when it comes to that. I just want to always be on the floor.”
Injury report
— Besides DeRozan, the Bulls also were missing forward Javonte Green, who underwent an arthroscopic debridement Wednesday after struggling with discomfort and pain from a bone bruise in his right knee throughout the last month. Green will be re-evaluated in two weeks and Donovan said the procedure went well, but the Bulls do not have a timeline for his return.
— The Wizards were even more short-handed than the Bulls. Outside of the long-term absence of star guard Bradley Beal, they were missing center Vernon Carey Jr. (right quad), forward Johnny Davis (right hip), forward Daniel Gafford (right ankle) and center Kristaps Porziņģis (ribs).
Where they stand
The Bulls dropped to 19-23 and remain 10th in the Eastern Conference.
Up next
The Bulls return to Chicago to host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday and the Golden State Warriors on Sunday before jetting off to Paris for a Jan. 19 game against the Detroit Pistons.
