Chicago Bulls at Orlando Magic
Running - and hiding - of the Bulls
The Bulls (31-32, 31-32 ATS) have lost five straight games and suddenly find themselves teetering out of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Defensive woes are the crux of Chicago’s problems. The team has surrendered at least 100 points in seven consecutive outings. After a 122-116 home loss to Dallas on Saturday, the Bulls were humiliated in front of their own fans 132-108 by Utah on Tuesday.
“We can’t control the paint right now,” coach Vinny Del Negro said afterward. “We emphasize defence all the time. We’ve won this season by controlling tempo and when we try to outscore teams, we don’t have much success.”
Other direction
While Chicago is mired in a dismal slump, Orlando is streaking. The Magic (45-20, 34-31 ATS) have won eight in a row to gain a formidable four-game lead over Atlanta in the Southeast Division.
Orlando is already in a playoff mentality, which can be expected since the team had a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals on Sunday. With home-court advantage, the Magic edged Los Angeles 96-94 when Kobe Bryant missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.
“It felt like a playoff game,” Vince Carter said. “You could see it on everyone’s face. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, well, whatever.’”
Added Dwight Howard following a 113-87 home rout of the Clippers on Tuesday:
“Seems like all you hear is ‘Cleveland vs. the Lakers’ in the Finals,” Howard said. “We want to be holding up that trophy. We think we can make the kind of plays to make it back to the Finals.”
Prior engagements
The Bulls and Magic have gone head-to-head twice this season, with both encounters taking place in the Windy City. As a 3.5-point underdog on Jan. 2, Chicago beat Orlando 101-93 behind 30 points from Derrick Rose. Howard, meanwhile, was limited to just nine points.
Orlando was favoured by 3.5 points on Feb. 10, and this time the Magic took care of business and got revenge 107-87. An injured Rose left the game early in the first quarter and Orlando featured seven players in double-figures. The Magic led 41-17 after a mere 12 minutes of play.