After a powerful start to the season, the Chicago Bulls are struggling. On Friday, they suffered their worst loss of the season, a 36-point trouncing at the hands of the Miami Heat, 143-107.

In the process, the Bulls now have an 8-7 record and have lost three of their last five games. Furthermore, they are virtually eliminated from advancing in the NBA Cup tournament. 

Afterward, Donovan was blunt as can be when assessing his team’s performance. Essentially, they didn’t come out ready to play. 

“It was a game where in every facet we didn’t know what we were walking into,” Donovan said. 

Bulls coach Billy Donovan doesn’t beat around the bush when summing up a 36 point loss to the Miami Heat.

“It was a game where in every facet we didn’t know what we were walking into” ⁦@ClutchPoints⁩ pic.twitter.com/bWAoVWbmGj

https://twitter.com/DravesZachary/status/1992077786438131904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The game stood out for two notable moments. First, their second-year guard, Matas Buzelis, sustained a brief injury scare when he appeared to injure his ankle and had to be carried off the floor. However, Buzelis came back onto the floor and finished with 6 points and five rebounds. 

Also, Kevin Huerter was ejected in the third quarter on a controversial call. After the whistle blew, Huerter slapped the ball toward the referee, and it hit him in the back. Altogether, Huerter finished the game with 3 points and two rebounds. 

Plus, the Bulls were without Coby White , who is still battling back from his recent calf injury . 

What were the factors that led to the Bulls losing so badly?

At the outset, the Heat set the pace. In the first half, they combined for a 53-21 run. From there, the Bulls could only cut the lead down by no less than 14 points. 

Even though they are on the same path in scoring, Heat (47%) vs Bulls (41.7%), Chicago came up short in a few critical areas. They shot just 27.9% from the three-point line, were outrebounded 53-39, and sent the Heat to the free throw line 44 times. The latter of which diminished Chicago’s ability to excel in transition. 

Also, the Bulls turned the ball over 18 times, and the Heat scored 24 points off turnovers, whereas Chicago scored only six. On a positive note, Ayo Dosunmu scored 23 points and grabbed four rebounds. Also, Josh Giddey finished with a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. 

Jalen Smith came off the bench to score 14 points, and Jevon Carter scored 10 points. 

The Chicago Bulls will take on the Washington Wizards at home on Saturday.