Bulls' DeMar DeRozan-Led Comeback Falls Short Against Wizards

9 observations: DeRozan-led comeback falls short vs. Wiz originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The script felt all too familiar.

Trailing by two points with seconds to play in the nation's capital, DeMar DeRozan sized up Anthony Gill, pounded a few dribbles and launched a 3-pointer just before the buzzer that would have certainly moved the Chicago Bulls to 2-0 on the 2022-23 season.

But unlike his miraculous heave last New Year's Day, that attempt rimmed out, and the Wizards exited with a 102-100 victory.

Here are nine observations:

1. The Bulls missed plenty of opportunities to exploit interior mismatches for Nikola Vučević in the season opener against the Heat. Flipping that script was a focus in this one. By the 5:34 mark of the first quarter, Vučević had 10 points and six free-throw attempts, largely produced by funneling opportunities in the post. After resting, he also had two timely buckets in the second quarter: A catch-and-shoot 3-pointer to snap a 14-0 Wizards run, and a last-second floater to pull the Bulls within six points at the half.

In all, Vučević amassed 24 points in another poor shooting night: 5-for-14 from the field and 2-for-7 from 3-point range, including a big miss that would have put the Bulls ahead by one with 51 seconds remaining. He did, however, set a new career-high by going 12-for-12 from the free throw line.

2. That made him the leader of a 33-11 free-throw attempt advantage for the Bulls, which almost compensated for a 7-for-27 (25.9 percent) shooting night from beyond the arc. The Wizards made 10 of their 26 (38.5 percent) 3-point attempts.

3. The stretch run felt as if it was building towards more DeRozan heroics. In the final two minutes, he made a driving layup and two free throws to tie the game 98-98, then converted a steal-and-slam with just over 30 seconds to play to knot the contest 100-100.

Ultimately, his game-winner went askew, but he still followed up his historic season opener with a strong performance: 32 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists — although give Wizards third-year forward Deni Avdija credit for his admirable defense when matched up with DeRozan in the midrange area.

4. The Bulls notched an impressive win over the Heat in the season opener without Zach LaVine, but missed his scoring in this one. DeRozan and Vučević combined for 56 of the Bulls' 100 points on 16-for-37 shooting; the rest of the team scored just 44 while shooting 17-for-42.

Fortunately, head coach Billy Donovan told reporters pregame LaVine is expected to make his season debut in the home opener against the Cavaliers on Saturday.

5. As at times in Miami, the Bulls' perimeter defense was an issue. Two anecdotes that stood out: The Wizards scored 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting in the game's first 3 minutes, 46 seconds, holding a five-point lead at the game's first stoppage. And at the top of the third quarter, Donovan was forced to call timeouts at the 11:09 and 8:57 — the first after allowing back-to-back Kyle Kuzma 3-pointers to open the third, the latter for generally discombobulated play that led to a 15-point deficit.

The Bulls did bare down defensively in the latter part of the third, finishing the period on a 20-6 run after falling behind by as many as 17 points. But the Wizards shot 51.2 percent as a team and got the buckets they needed to down the stretch.

6. Alex Caruso, who started each of the Bulls' games so far for LaVine, has quietly struggled offensively. Through two games, he is now shooting 3-for-14 (1-for-8 from 3-point range) with 8 turnovers. For a time, it appeared as if he would compensate with harassing defense on Bradley Beal down the stretch. But Beal back-cut him for a layup to put Washington up two with 64 seconds left, then hit a floater in his grill for what would prove to be the game winner inside of the final 10 seconds.

7. The Bulls' second unit again showcased its improvements in relation to last season's group, which finished 29th in the NBA in scoring:

• Andre Drummond made an impact on the offensive glass — three of his 10 boards were of the offensive variety — blocked a shot and finished three point-blank looks set up by Dragić. As an aside: That two-man pairing looks sharp in the early-going.
• Coby White broke into double-figures for the second straight game, but did it with better shooting splits — 2-for-4 from 3-point range — and pulled down a couple contested rebounds in the second half.
• Dragić had 7 third-quarter points, 5 assists and closed the contest in Patrick Williams' place for the second straight game.

8. Ayo Dosunmu got off to a strong start, slashing for a pair of confident finishes at the rim and drilling a 3-pointer in the first quarter. But, while he didn't play notably poorly, his overall performance was a drop-off from his fantastic debut. He was blocked twice at the basket by Bradley Beal — amusing, given their in-game history from last season — and committed a costly foul on a 3-point shooter just inside the five minute mark of the fourth as the Bulls looked to make a run.

9. After a silent season opener, it was another invisible first half for Williams, who hit a corner 3-pointer and pulled down zero rebounds in 14 minutes. Then, he came alive by his standards in the third quarter, putting together two strong drives — one for a layup and another for two free-throw attempts — and pulling down an offensive rebound. But the big picture of the game was uninspiring: 7 points (2-for-5 shooting), 1 rebound, sitting in crunch time, and 26 points being dropped by his defensive matchup in Kuzma at the other end.

Next up: Back to Chicago on Saturday for the home opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, when Zach LaVine is expected to make his season debut.

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