Zach LaVine After Bulls Blow Big Lead, Fall To Hawks: ‘What Just Happened?’

December 26, 2024

Zach LaVine sat on the training table, towel draped over his head, staring at the ceiling in disbelief, as reported by NBA writer Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

“What the (bleep) just happened?” LaVine asked, half in frustration, half trying to find a bit of humor in the chaos. If anyone had the right to ask that question, it was LaVine.

The Bulls had just watched a 17-point lead evaporate faster than a fast break, as Atlanta stormed back in the second half and ultimately blew the doors off in the fourth quarter to win 141-133.

It was a crushing road loss for a Chicago team already struggling to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference, and the numbers didn’t lie. The Hawks dropped a staggering 50 points in the final frame, shooting 62.5% from the field and converting 17 free throws to the Bulls’ zero.

The only thing more jarring than the shooting was the rebound differential: 14-3 in favor of the Hawks.

“We just gave the game away,” LaVine said. “They amped up their physicality, I made a bad pass out of a double-team one time, but we couldn’t rebound, we couldn’t score, and it just compounded. When it happens that fast you just keep looking up and you’re like, ‘Damn!’”

A sentiment shared across the visiting locker room. Coach Billy Donovan didn’t mince words either.

“The fouling was a huge issue,” he said. “We got them into the bonus early in the fourth. I think the other issue was the rebounding. And then I thought the other part of it was the physicality, which they played with defensively.

“The officials letting that stuff go was obviously a huge discrepancy. We had a hard time playing through it, quite honestly.”

It’s hard to argue with Donovan’s assessment. The Bulls were absolutely outclassed in the final 12 minutes. While LaVine poured in a season-high 37 points, it was all for naught.

The Hawks not only dominated offensively but suffocated Chicago with a relentless physicality that the Bulls simply couldn’t handle. The rebounding edge alone tells you all you need to know: Atlanta feasted on the boards while the Bulls seemed stuck in quicksand.

But it wasn’t just about the rebounds or the fouls. The real turning point came when Hawks star Trae Young, who had been mostly ineffective through three quarters, finally broke free.

Coming into the game, the Bulls had done a masterful job limiting Young, forcing him into a series of frustrating performances. In the first three quarters of Thursday’s game, Young was just 4-of-12 from the field for 11 points, and the “Trae Young Rules” defense had worked to perfection.

“The biggest thing with (Young) is he’s such a complete offensive player,” Donovan said before the game. “It’s not just his scoring. It’s his ability to assist, throw lobs, generate threes. What all starts with him is how good you can defend him without fouling.”

For three quarters, the Bulls executed that game plan flawlessly. But as soon as the fourth quarter began, it was as if Young flipped a switch. He finished the game with 16 points in the final six minutes alone, shooting 4-of-5 from the field.

His ability to score, create for others, and get to the free throw line opened up the floodgates. And as Young went, so did the rest of the Hawks. Suddenly, everyone on the floor was eating — including Clint Capela, De’Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic, who all benefitted from Young’s ability to draw defenders and dish out assists.

“They’re a tough team when Trae gets going,” LaVine said. “We did a good job on him through three quarters, but once he starts hitting, getting others involved, it’s a snowball effect. And we didn’t handle it.”

For LaVine, who had been a one-man show on offense, the result was hard to stomach.

“That was a game we beat ourselves,” he said. “That sucks because we’re not in position to give games away. To give up 50 points in a quarter is a lot, man. We’re going to have to look at that and figure out what we need to do to weather the storm.”

That’s the hard truth for the Bulls: A 50-point fourth quarter is unforgivable. It’s a sign of an NBA team unraveling at the worst possible time, and it’s something they can’t afford to repeat if they’re going to stay in playoff contention.

“We can’t let that happen again,” LaVine added. “That just can’t happen. It’s unacceptable.”

For Chicago, this loss is a gut punch. And unless the Bulls find a way to weather the storms when they hit, it could be another long NBA season ahead.