Chicago Bulls run Brooklyn Nets out of gym in second half, win 128-102

The Brooklyn Nets let go of the rope and succumbed to their dire circumstances on Monday night, though there was one shining positive for the black-and-white.

The Orlando Magic were not a friendly matchup for the Brooklyn Nets. Not on paper, nor during their two-game sweep over the weekend at Barclays Center.

Setting aside the talent gap, the Nets have struggled all season against defenses that aggressively pressure the ball on the perimeter, one of Orlando’s key principles. And still missing Day’Ron Sharpe, the tiny tiny Nets were facing a team that’s not only big at every position, but gives three different centers real minutes.

While Orlando was without Paolo Banchero, the Nets continued to play without half their rotation; the two games went exactly how you’d expect. Brooklyn, per usual, comported themselves well, forcing many-a-turnover to frequently keep up with the red-hot Magic, but their efforts would be nothing more than a moral victory. Orlando suffocated and frustrated the Nets for the majority of the 96 minutes, owning the paint and thereby preventing the Nets from getting out in transition. It’s what they do.

“That’s life in the NBA. Big games keep coming and good teams keep coming at you, and they were the better team tonight,” said Jordi Fernández after the first loss.

The Chicago Bulls, thankfully, are not the Magic, evident when Brooklyn comfortably beat them at Barclays to begin November. Their perimeter defense is not nearly as intimidating, they are not nearly as big, and the size they do have (namely Nikola Vučević) doesn’t protect the rim like Orlando’s bigs do.

Much of that was evident during the first quarter of Monday’s contest in Chicago, with Nic Claxton attacking the rim early and often…

After a rough, five-turnover performance vs. Orlando on Sunday, he’d reach double-digit FGAs for the first time this season, posting a 11 points and eight boards.

Through one half, the Nets trailed by six, though even on the second night of a back-to-back, traveling to Chicago with half the rotation out once again, Brooklyn seemed ready to fight to the death.

Their bench again provided a lift, and Fernández’s team was on their way to having six double-digit scorers. Trendon Watford would put up a dozen against the Bulls, and Shake Milton reach double-digits in the first half alone, with Fernández frequently putting the ball in his hands to watch him evade Chicago’s lackluster perimeter defense, even puking Josh Giddey on his best sequence of the night…

Alas, the Nets are feisty, not superhuman. In the second half, they’d succumb to their circumstances of a relentless travel schedule and ever-growing injury report.

Remember when Nikola Vučević was a certified Nets-killer? Well, he brought us back to the old days on Monday night, leading all scorers with 21/10/3, many of those points coming in the first half. He hit pick-and-pop threes, he posted up Claxton while hitting hook shots and fadeaway jumpers, all of it.

But Vučević didn’t just carry the Bulls to a six-point halftime lead, he cleared the way for his teammates to blow out Brooklyn in the second half. In the blink of an eye, Chicago was up 20 points; Zach LaVine was hitting pull-up bombs, Josh Giddey was driving and dishing his way to a fat 20/13/11 double-double, and generally speaking, the Bulls were running the Nets out of the gym…

It looked as if the Nets were finally letting go of the rope, exhausted after a West Coast -> East Coast -> Midwest swing including a couple back-to-backs and a litany of injuries.

But Fernández wasn’t having it postgame, citing a “lack of competitiveness in the second half.”

“They had 21 fast-break points in the second half … it’s not good enough. And we have high standards, or higher standards [for] the way we work, the way we play, the way we compete. And this was, like, not good.”

He continued: “In that second Orlando game and the first half of this game, I give the guys credit. You know, you can lose, but it’s how you lose, and I was proud of them. In this second half, this is not who we want to be, and this is not our identity. So it was pretty poor.”

It did not emanate from one individual; there was even positives to be found. Dennis Schröder missed all six of his threes, but still posted 16 points and ten assists. Day’Ron Sharpe made his season debut, giving the Nets some size and impressing his head coach in the process…

“I loved his energy, his pick and roll defense, his aggressiveness,” said Fernández. “He’s going to keep getting better. I believe it, because I’ve seen it since the first day I’ve been the gym. You know, great attitude, great energy.”

(Sharpe, unsurprisingly, had his own view of his performance: “Me personally, I played [like] ass. But it’s my first game, so, just keep building from here.”

If fans may be satisfied that each Nets loss increases the chances of some ping-pong-ball next May, rest assured that those inside the locker room do not feel the same way. Jordi Fernández did not hesitate to throw away the schedule and the amount of missing bodies as possible excuses, continuing to look at a bigger picture that has nothing to do with draft position.

“Nah. I’m gonna go into every game believing that we have a chance to win. I don’t care who’s playing. If they are wearing a Nets uniform, I’m gonna go out there and believe that we’re gonna fight, compete, and we’re gonna have a chance.”

It may be hard to swallow in the wake of some of Brooklyn’s shocking West Coast victories, but Monday night may be more of the rule than the exception, even against a mediocre Bulls team. In the United Center, the Nets did not have a chance, but merely the illusion of one for the first 24 minutes.

At least, deep down in this disheartening loss that brought Brooklyn to 9-13 on the season, there were a couple positives that shined bright.

Final Score: Chicago Bulls 128, Brooklyn Nets 102

Dariq Whitehead’s big night

Neither Shake Milton’s highlights, nor Dennis Schröder’s double-double, not even Day’Ron Sharpe’s return could match what Dariq Whitehead did on Monday evening. Yep, Dariq Whitehead, who received minutes outside of garbage time for just the second game in his career.

And boy did he respond, posting a career-high 18 points on a career-high six 3-point attempts. His shot was absolutely butter, but just as importantly, he didn’t look overmatched out there. No, Whitehead did not attempt to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim, the area of his game most deeply impacted since his first foot surgery in the summer of 2022, but shooting 6-of-10 form three always constitutes a good night.

Still, Whitehead also notched a block, made a timely vertical contest at the rim, and stole the ball twice, including on one of his first possessions of the game…

“It was great,” said his head coach. “I asked him to be ready to shoot, to play — he knows what we’re about and what we’re trying to do. Just don’t overthink it and do it, and he did an amazing job. He shot ten threes and made six of them, and I’m happy for him, but the reality is: He put the work in.”

This performance follows the best game of Whitehead’s pro career, a 26-point outing on November 24th, down in the G League, where the 20-year-old also hit six threes.

“Me scoring that 26 or whatever it was in the G League, it just, you know, brought back confidence that I’ve been missing for two years, dealing with the injuries and stuff, just not believing in myself,” said Whitehead.

Whitehead, a big 6’7” wing, was taken at No. 22 in the 2023 NBA Draft. Since August 2022, he’s had three surgeries, two on his foot, one on his shin. His 26-point effort in the G League was his highest scoring game since high school. As a senior at Montverde Academy, Whitehead was a near unanimous choice as high school player of the year.

Milestone Watch

Not only does the 2023 #21 overall pick deserve his own section in this one, he deserves to lead off this edition of Milestone Watch:

• Whitehead becomes the youngest player in franchise history (20 years, 123 days) to make six threes in a game. The sophomore also becomes the second-youngest player to make six threes in a game this season, bested only by this year’s #1 pick, Zaccharie Risacher.
• Dennis Schröder recorded his third double-double of the season, exceeded his total (as a Net) from last season.

Next Up

Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images

The Brooklyn Nets come home, and before they get three whole off-days, they have one more piece of business to attend to. They’ll take on the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

• Boxscore: Chicago Bulls 128, Brooklyn Nets 102 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Chicago Bulls 128, Brooklyn (Video) – NBA
• Jordi Fernández discusses Nets loss to Bulls (Video) – YES Network
• Dariq Whitehead on finding chemistry with teammates (Video) – YES Network
• Giddey gets a triple-double as the Bulls race past the Nets for a 128-102 victory – Jay Cohen – AP
• Reshuffled, depleted Nets no match for Bulls in third straight loss – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Pointing out the positives in Nets’ 128-102 loss to Bulls – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nets Notebook: Ben Simmons discusses latest injury, Cam Johnson wants to stay in Brooklyn, and more ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nets’ Dariq Whitehead reveals key to confidence following breakout performance in season debut – Erik Slater – Clutch Points