The Chicago Bulls appeared to still be hungover on Saturday night from their miraculous buzzer-beating win over the Los Angeles Lakers two nights earlier. The Bulls let down their guard against a shorthanded Dallas Mavericks team in a 120-119 loss in front of 21,045 fans at the United Center. The Bulls entered their contest against the Mavs with a four-game winning streak.
Chicago had earned that winning streak by playing aggressive and smart . On Saturday night, the Bulls struggled with defense and turnovers against Dallas, turning over the ball 19 times to the Mavs’ six turnovers. The Chicago Bulls didn’t have that “pop” Following the game, head coach Billy Donovan told reporters that he thought the turnovers hurt the Bulls’ chances of winning.
He thought the team didn’t have the “pop” they showed in previous contests during the winning streak. “I didn’t think we kind of had it tonight, to be quite honest, the pop that was there (before),” Donovan said via Cody Westerlund of 670 The Score. “I thought our guys were trying, but like to me, the carelessness with the turnovers, I thought that really impacted the game.
“I thought we got too deep into the lane. I thought we could’ve generated and manufactured better shots. I didn’t think it was a lack of effort there.
It was just a game that was a struggle for us.” Billy Donovan was worried before the game Donovan hinted before the game that he was worried about the “pop” his young roster would.
