Chicago Bulls vs. Phoenix Suns: Postgame Grades and Analysis
Eric Bledsoe scored 23 points, Goran Dragic added 21 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Chicago Bulls, 99-93, at the US Airways Center Friday night.
The Suns blew all of a 15-point lead in this one, thanks much in part to a 13-point third quarter that allowed the Bulls to climb back into the game.
However, Chicago's ineptness at the free-throw line really hurt its chances to close the deal, as ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell pointed out:
Also, per Friedell, Pau Gasol did not seem too happy with his team's competitive spirit:
Phoenix proceeded to make enough big plays down the stretch to earn the win, including a bank shot by Bledsoe to put the Suns up four with 10.2 seconds left.
Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 23 points.
| Derrick Rose | C- |
| Pau Gasol | C- |
| Joakim Noah | B- |
| Jimmy Butler | B+ |
| Taj Gibson | D |
| Rest of Team | A- |
| Goran Dragic | A- |
| Eric Bledsoe | A- |
| Markieff Morris | C- |
| Isaiah Thomas | D- |
| Marcus Morris | C |
| Rest of Team | B- |
Chicago Bulls
Derrick Rose: C-
Chalk up another inefficient outing for Rose.
Rose scored 23 points, but he did it off a very inefficient 8-of-23 clip. He also missed all six of his attempts from three-point range (although one of this was a halfcourt heave to end the game).
Rose made some very nice, under control drives to the basket early on and finished above length, but as the game progressed, he started to force more and more.
At least he only committed three turnovers this contest.
Rose added five rebounds and three assists.
Pau Gasol: C-
I did not like the way Gasol played at all.
Sure, he grabbed 19 rebounds, but he was absolutely horrendous offensively. He was never able to impose his will on that end of the floor, shooting only 5-of-14 and missing all five of his free-throw attempts.
Gasol was not thrilled, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune:
Gasol's presence on the glass is the only thing that saved him from earning a miserable grade.
Joakim Noah: B-
Joakim Noah had a so-so game.
He just missed a double-double, recording nine points and 10 rebounds. He also used his trademark interior passing skills to rack up five assists.
What I liked most about Noah's performance, however, was how he ran the floor. There was one instance where he beat everybody back down the floor for a transition layup.
That being said, Noah shot only 3-of-8, so his night could have been better.
Jimmy Butler: B+
Solid night for Jimmy Butler.
He wasn't insanely efficient, going 8-of-18 and missing five of his six triples, but he filled up the box score, tallying 22 points, seven boards, four dimes and two steals.
Butler was the most intelligently aggressive Bull on the evening, making controlled drives to the rim and drawing some contact. He missed three of his eight free throws, though.
Not surprisingly, Butler played a game-high 42 minutes.
Taj Gibson: D
Taj Gibson was all but invisible.
The normally dependable big man scored only four points in 22 minutes, going 2-of-4 from the field. He also collected only one lone rebound and did not record a single block.
We are used to much better all-around performances from Gibson.
Rest of Team: A-
Aaron Brooks was the only other Bulls player who did anything Friday night.
Brooks was terrific off the bench, scoring 21 points off 8-of-13 shooting (3-of-5 from deep) and hitting some key buckets in the second half to get Chicago back in the game and keep things close in the fourth quarter.
He was also a pest defensively, something we are not necessarily accustomed to seeing out of Brooks.
Outside of Brooks, Kirk Hinrich and Tony Snell scored two points apiece.
Brooks is the sole reason for the good grade here.
Phoenix Suns
Goran Dragic: A-
Dragic was awesome.
The floor general hit 50 percent of his 18 shots and did an outstanding job of taking the rock into the teeth of the Bulls defense and punishing them around the rim.
He scored 21 points and added four assists. He also blocked a couple of shots, as seen above on Rose. Perhaps Dragic's most impressive feat of the night is the fact that he only turned the ball over once.
Eric Bledsoe: A-
Bledsoe was all over the place.
The stocky guard scored 23 points off 8-of-16 shooting and made numerous key plays down the stretch, none bigger than the leaning bank shot he hit to put the Suns up four and seal the game with 10.2 seconds left.
Bledsoe chipped in six assists, four rebounds and three steals and also wreaked havoc in transition for much of the evening.
Markieff Morris: C-
While Markieff Morris picked things up in the fourth quarter, he did not have a great night.
Morris missed eight of his first nine shots from the floor, misfiring inside and on some jumpers. However, he was able to get it going a bit down the stretch, making four of his first five attempts during the final period. Those buckets were rather significant, too, as they put some distance between his team and the Bulls.
Markieff ended up hitting on five of his 16 shots overall, an ugly 31.3 percent clip. He did a solid job on he glass, though, hauling in 14 rebounds.
Morris totaled 12 points on the evening.
Isaiah Thomas: D-
This was not one of those sparkplug-type nights for Isaiah Thomas.
The former 60th overall pick made only two of his nine shots off the pine, going 1-of-5 from long range and recording six points.
Thomas also registered only one assist.
He did have one nice rebound where he skied above a couple of Bulls players, but that was about it.
Marcus Morris: C
The other Morris twin had an inefficient night, as well.
Marcus went only 4-of-11 from the floor, although he did make two of his five attempts from distance, including a big one to put the Suns up by six with 10 minutes left.
Morris finished with 12 points, five rebounds and a pair of steals in 23 minutes off the bench.
Rest of Team: B+
Alex Len came through with a solid performance, posting seven points and eight boards. His only problem was that he got into some early foul trouble and was only able to play 21 minutes because of it.
P.J. Tucker had one of his typical scrappy outings. While he did not shoot well (3-of-8), he managed six points and seven rebounds and played some tough defense.
Finally, Brandan Wright was effective off the bench, tallying eight points and five boards. He did a great job finishing lobs for some easy buckets.
What's Next?
The Bulls will have five days off before they trek over to Texas to take on the Houston Rockets at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday night. Butler vs. James Harden? Sounds like a great one.
Meanwhile, the Suns will head over to Oracle Arena for a showdown with the West-leading Golden State Warriors on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET. Phoenix has already beaten the Warriors once this season. Can it do it again?
