The Chicago Bulls are 3-4 after yesterday's 114-109 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. They will look to end their two-game losing streak Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets, with head coach Billy Donovan indicating a possible change in the starting lineup.
Donovan frustrated after the loss
After trailing by as many as 19 in the first half, the Bulls had a 5-point lead with 4:15 remaining in the third quarter. Nikola Vucevic was a key for Chicago during the stretch, going 4-for-4 from long-range and having a few good defensive possessions on Joel Embiid.
However, the Sixers made enough plays down the stretch to beat the Bulls for the 12th straight time, improving their record to 3-4.
Following the Bulls' second straight loss -- they fell to San Antonio Spurs on Friday -- Donovan indicated he might be making changes to the team's starting lineup.
“But I can't sit there and say it's one player," he said. “It's that group. It's a group of five players. It's something we probably got to take a look at and evaluate and see. You'd like to get a larger sample size.”
Who's the odd man out?
The Bulls' big three of LaVine, DeRozan, and Vucevic combined for 67 of the team's 109 points in yesterday's loss at United Center. With Ayo Dosunmu and Andre Drummond both out with injuries, Chicago didn't get the usual output from the second unit -- they only scored 24 points to the Sixers' 39.
Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams both scored 9 points, with the latter being the obvious candidate to lose a starting spot for Chicago.
Seven games into the season, Williams is averaging 7.1 points on 42.9% from the floor and 35.4% from three in 21.4 minutes per game. Javonte Green, the Bulls backup PF, hasn't exactly been killing it off the bench either -- he's averaging 5.9 points on 50% shooting.
But a shakeup in Chicago's starting five might be necessary. And if (and when) that happens, Williams-Green switch is the obvious move for Donovan.
More must-reads: