Takeaways & Player Grades: Nets 113, Bulls 103

Facing off against another team that sits below them in the Eastern Conference standings, the Chicago Bulls came up short.

They are now 3-11 in their last 14 games and in the thick of a five-game losing streak.

Three Takeaways

Another Slow Start

Despite returning to their home turf and welcoming in a very inexperienced Nets team, the Chicago Bulls continued their trend of starting slow. Matas Buzelis was the only player looking hungry to snap the streak, as the Bulls dragged their feet to a 24-point first quarter, which tied their second-fewest points scored in an opening frame this season. Their 8-25 shooting effort also made for their least efficient first quarter of the year.

Meanwhile, Michael Porter Jr. was having no problem finding the bottom of the net for Brooklyn. He scored 14 of the team's first 18 points. His hot hand was the main difference to start the night, leading the Nets to a 29-24 advantage heading into the second quarter.

When you start this sluggishly, it can be hard to break out of it. Brooklyn used an 8-0 run to grab their first double-digit lead. The Nets were motivated from there, and the Bulls were playing catch-up with a bad defense. A rough combination.

Fastbreak and Turnovers

The Chicago Bulls continue to shoot themselves in the foot. Brooklyn came into the night averaging the fewest fastbreak points of any team in the NBA, as well as recording the fewest points per 100 possessions in transition (per Cleaning the Glass). Yet, they started to outpace a Bulls team that has recorded the second-highest PACE in the league this year.

The Nets surpassed their average of 10.5 fastbreak points early in the third quarter. To be clear, the Bulls would eventually go on to win this category 25-16 as they scrambled to get back in the game. But Brooklyn's ability to score and create easy buckets in the open floor was a big reason why they gained their large lead.

Likewise, Chicago eventually ended up scoring more points off turnovers, but it wasn't this way for the majority of the night. The Bulls coughed up the ball 16 times and gave up 20 points off those mistakes. Brooklyn has the second-worst defensive rating in the league. These turnovers were not forced by Brooklyn's activity but rather by Chicago's sloppiness.

Three-Point Discrepency

As the game dragged on, the main difference-maker became the three-point line. While the Nets have not been the most efficient shooting team in the NBA, they have not hesitated to chuck up shots. Their 41.2 attempts a night is sixth-highest in the league, and they surpassed that number by tossing up 46 shots at the United Center.

They went on to knock down 19 of those attempts. Brooklyn made 14 triples in the second half alone, which included six from the corners! The Bulls' defense repeatedly failed to rotate and left men wide open, particularly Noah Clowney, who went 6-11 from deep.

By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Bulls were outscored 57-21 from long range. This made their 60-36 advantage in the paint obsolete.

Six Player Grades