BULLS STRUGGLE FROM OUTSIDE, GO DOWN TO DRIVE, 107-83
By Windy City Bulls Staff /January 26, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1/25/20
The Windy City Bulls, presented by BMO Harris Bank, the official G League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls, lost at home to Grand Rapids Drive Saturday night, 107-83.
In front of a packed Sears Centre Arena crowd on Deaf Awareness Night, the Bulls jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead, but sharp passing and balanced scoring lead the Drive on a late first quarter run to take a 27-18 lead heading into the second frame behind seven points from Donta Hall.
Grand Rapids played a strong game offensively all-around in the first half, assisting on 14-of-17 made field goals, shooting .486 from the floor, and building a 24-16 advantage on points in the paint.
Windy City shot just 1-for-16 from long range in the first 24 minutes, falling behind by as many as 15 points, but rallied on 12-4 run to end the half thanks to a 7-2 lead in fast break points and three players with double-figure scoring efforts. Justin Simon led the way with 13 point and six rebounds, Thomas Wilder 10 points and seven rebounds, and Simi Shittu with ten points and three rebounds.
The Drive led after two quarters, 48-41.
Windy City’s outside shooting woes continued with leading scorers Milton Doyle and P.J. Dozier out of the line-up, and Grands Rapids used advantages in second-chance points (14-3), points in the paint (36-22), and bench points (29-11) to build their lead to 70-55 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Bulls were unable to warm up their shooting touch from the outside, finishing .304 from the field and .135 from long range. Grand Rapids outscored Windy City 59-42 in the second half to close out the victory, led by six players in double figures including 23 points and nine rebounds from Donta Hall.
Topping the scoring list for the Bulls were Simon with a double-double, 21 points and ten rebounds to go with four assists, four steals, and four blocked shots, and Shittu with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Windy City (11-16) will have a few days off before traveling to Canton to take on the Charge next Friday night.