Chicago Bulls: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 season opener
2. Bulls off to a bad start defensively
One of the factors that contributed to the Bulls’ 27-55 mark last season was the team’s inability to consistently defend at a high level. As a result, Chicago finished near the bottom of the league in nearly every defensive metric.
The team did little to improve this trend during the preseason, as they gave up 105.8 points per contest. In the season opener against the Sixers, the ugly trend continued.
After giving up at least 60 points in the first halves in each of their first three preseason games, the Bulls gave up 65 points in the first half of this contest.
The only teams to score 65+ in first halves more frequently than the 76ers last season were Houston (17) and New Orleans (17), as Philadelphia led the Eastern Conference with 15 such performances.
— Sixers Stats (@SixersStats) October 19, 2018
h/t @nbastats https://t.co/StdSPVjL82
With the Bulls not excelling at that end of the floor, the Sixers shot 47.3 percent from the field and placed eight players in double figures. Yes, the offseason additions did give Chicago some additional scoring punch.
However, if the Bulls don’t find a way to address their defensive woes, fans can expect to see more performances like this one over the course of the season.