Tuesday night the Bulls squared off against the LeBron-less Lakers and lost a hard fought battle 100-107. The Lakers had a “Must Win” mentality, as they have slid down to the 9th spot in the Western Conference standings since the injury to LeBron (now in the 8th spot with the win). The Bulls fall to 10-34 on the year, and with the recent news of Wendell Carter Jr. being out with a thumb injury, this season is as promising as a $1 gas station burrito. Being that the game started at 9:30 pm, this game may have gone past a lot of your bedtimes. Luckily for me, I was sipping on some Conor McGregor’s Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey, I think that it was so bad that it shocked my system and gave me an energy boost. With that being said, here are my takeaways from the game.
The Good:
Jabari Parker finally showed flashes of the player he used to be right out of college- scoring 18 points on 7-10 shooting off the bench. It seemed like he had an extra pep to his step, throwing down a couple of dunks early proving that he may still have functioning knees. This is one of the main reason’s why the Bulls took a chance on Parker, he has the ability to be the main contributor to a team, now we will have to wait and see if he can play at this level consistently.
Jabari Parker spins baseline for the strong finish!#BullsNation 30#LakeShow 27
📺: @NBATV pic.twitter.com/hfz7yrWnPg
— NBA (@NBA) January 16, 2019
The Bad:
Well, we lost to the Lakers without LeBron in the lineup. The Lakers have looked way out of sorts going 3-7 without the Ohio native, and really having their youth and lack of leadership be exposed. These are the types of games that the Bulls “core four” should be able to take over and win us a ball game. Kris Dunn finished the game with 6 points on 2-7 shooting, and a -25 +/-, looking like my stat line from my men’s league basketball game last week. Dunn has had a disappointing season, to say the least, he is a guy that has a lot to play for in that it is a contract year for him. Hopefully, he starts to turn things around and has a strong second half to the season, because his reputation and bank account depend on it.
The Ugly:
Wendell Carter Jr. suffered a thumb injury during the game. There has been a whirlwind of reports on the severity of the injury throughout the day.
Bulls haven’t ruled out broken thumb or surgery for Carter, who is expected to miss weeks. Bulls still waiting on 2nd test results.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 16, 2019
2nd test result showed ligament is intact, per source. Carter’s left thumb is sprained, not fractured, and won’t require surgery. In fact, Bulls, who initially feared Carter would miss weeks, are prepared to call him day-to-day. Bulls dodge bullet after injury-plagued season.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 16, 2019
Carter has had a very impressive rookie campaign thus far and is the only player on the team that has played in all 44 games. What a relief that he will not be missing significant time. Honestly, I can’t help but think that I suffer the same injury playing a couple of rounds of Golden Tee, so my medical recommendation would be to rub some dirt on it, take a shot of Proper Twelve, and he will be good as new in no time.
With all of that being said, all I have left to say is another loss brings the Bulls one step closer towards the #TankForZion campaign, and that is something we can all be excited for. Cue the music!
