Game Recap: Bulls collapse late against Magic

Mike Watters - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 11 hours ago

ORLANDO - Remember when the Chicago Bulls (9-11) got off to that 6-1 start and everyone was excited to see where this team was going? Well, those days are long gone, as the Bulls have not only come crashing to earth but are now just 3-10 over their last 13 games, making that hot start nothing but a distant memory.

Their struggles continued at the Kia Center on Monday as the Bulls hit the road to take on the Orlando Magic (13-8). Backed by a monster fourth quarter from Orlando, and one in which Desmond Bane scored 18 of his game-high 37 points, it was the Magic finding a way to get it done as they held off the Bulls in the final minutes to secure the 125-120 win.

The game featured a back-and-forth battle, with both teams tied multiple times early. Backed by the trio of Josh Giddey, 22 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, Matas Buzelis scoring 21, and Nikola Vucevic 21 points and 11 boards, Chicago was able to keep things close most of the night, but it was the Magic who held the early advantage after one quarter of play, 29-26.

It was more of the same for both sides in the second quarter, as each team had its moments of success and struggles. While Bane may have been the Magic's go-to option most of the night, Franz Wagner and his 25 points, with Anthony Black adding 22 more off the bench, backed the strong effort by Bane to give the Magic a strong trio of their own.

While neither team had the same level of offensive success throughout the second half, it was the Bane vs Buzelis matchup late in the quarter, as both put their full arsenals on display. In the end, this was a 53-53 game at the break, setting up to be another instant classic between the two sides. Once the third quarter got underway, it was the Bulls who appeared to be making a statement as they burst out of the break on a 9-1 run to open up a 62-54 advantage.

Ayo Dosunmu played a role in that run for the Bulls as he came up huge with 18 more points, as Chicago continues to give Coby White some extra days off during the first half of the season, as he continues to build up his strength from a calf injury. It only got worse from there for the Magic as the Bulls continued to take it to Orlando and eventually built a 74-59 lead, putting them in complete control.

Credit the Magic for refusing to back down as the Bane/Black duo put the team on their back late in the third and single-handedly willed Orlando back into the game. Their scoring alone, combined with tightened defense, erased this 15-point deficit and closed out the quarter on a 26-11 run that left the Magic ahead 85-85 after three.

As disappointing as it was for the Bulls to blow another massive second-half lead, all wasn't lost, as Chicago still had one quarter to recover. It was in the fourth when you started to see Giddey come to life offensively as he began to connect from all over the floor. Tre Jones also came up huge, leading the Bulls bench with 20 points and coming away with several fourth-quarter buckets to keep the Bulls in front 107-104 midway through the fourth.

Trailing by five with less than five minutes to go, Orlando benefitted by a pair of big triples from Black to pull Orlando within two, only to have Bane add another triple shortly after to put the Magic in front 112-111 and just over three minutes to go. That triple was part of a huge 8-0 run that saw Orlando take a two-point deficit and turn it into a 117-111 lead with just over two minutes to play.

Chicago did their best to battle back late and managed to get things within one possession several times, but it wouldn't be enough as Orlando picked up the 125-120 win to hand Chicago their fourth straight defeat. Apart from the rebounding, in which Orlando outrebounded the Bulls 49-46, Chicago outplayed them in nearly every aspect of the game, making this loss especially painful for the boys in Black and Red.