Takeaways & Player Grades: Magic 125, Bulls 120

Hey, at least the Chicago Bulls don't have to walk out of the arena with a brown paper bag over their head.

Monday night's loss to the now 13-win Orlando Magic does not land nearly as high on the ugly scale as their previous three losses against the Pelicans, Hornets, and Pacers. Nonetheless, moral victories are rarely celebrated by head coaches or players. The fact of the matter is that the Bulls have dropped four straight, and they have now followed up a 6-1 start to the year with a 3-10 meltdown.

Lets' talk about the latest flop.

Three Takeaways

Paint Problems Persist

The Chicago Bulls came into the evening allowing the most points in the paint per game, which felt like a troublesome recipe against a physical and downhill Magic offense. This proved true from the jump, especially with the Bulls down their best defender and multiple backup big men. Orlando finished the night scoring 62 points in the paint on 26-34 shooting from the restricted area. They also ended a +10 from the free-throw line, where they shot a total of 33 attempts.

This success down low made Chicago's solid night from behind the arc obsolete. The Bulls drained 16 of their 37 shots from long range, finishing with five players with two or more made triples. Turnovers also sure didn't help combat Orlando's offensive success. They came up with several easy looks at the rim thanks to the Bulls' 20 turnovers and won the fastbreak battle 19-7.

By the way, it didn't even matter that Orlando's best inside scorer was stuck in street clothes. Paolo Banchero missed his ninth consecutive game. Franz Wanger and Desmond Bane led the way with a combined 23-35 shooting effort.

Offensive Rebounding Strikes Again

While the Chicago Bulls may have only lost the second-chance points battle 15-9, the offensive glass became a key difference-maker down the stretch. When the clock ticked below the 5-minute mark with the score sitting at 109-106, it marked the Bulls' 14th clutch game of the season. This is currently tied for the third-most in the NBA. Finishing these close games has been increasingly problematic for this group, and this was the case again tonight because of their inability to snag rebounds.

The Magic grabbed six offensive boards in the fourth quarter, which included four with under 5 minutes to go. Back-to-back offensive rebounds led to the Desmond Bane three that gave Orlando a 112-111 lead. The same goes for the Wendell Carter Jr. dunk that made it 116-111. It's the little things that matter in crunch time, and this young Bulls team continues to show that's what they struggle with most.

The Injuries Stack Up

While the Chicago Bulls shouldn't be looking for excuses during this four-game skid, it's becoming impossible to ignore the injury report. Kevin Huerter played only 6 minutes due to an adductor injury that forced him to leave the game. He became the seventh player ruled out for this meeting in Orlando.

Depth was a big reason why this group shocked so many around the NBA to begin the season. They are superstar-less group that needs to believe the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. To be sure, finishing with four 20+ point scorers tonight shows they are still trying to play with this mindset, but it's a lot less effective when you simply don't have the bodies.

For more on what the Chicago Bulls' injury report looks like right now, be sure to check out the On SI update from Monday night.

Six Player Grades

Matas Buzelis – A-
Stats: 21 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 3 BLK, 2 STL

Considering the team-wide injury trouble and his recent individual struggles, tonight was a needed bounceback performance for Matas Buzelis. The second-year forward looked a lot more like his early-season self, attacking the rim with confidence on and off the ball. Simply put, it felt like he was thinking less out there, and I think that's a good thing.