CHICAGO _ The Bulls entered their game against the Pistons on Friday night looking to snap their five-game losing streak in the series. But old demons on defense haunted them in a 112-104 loss at the United Center.
Coach Jim Boylen talked before the game about how he has preached finishing, but his team squandered a 66-49 halftime lead.
It all unraveled in the fourth quarter. Luke Kennard drained a 3-pointer to put the Pistons up 88-86 with 7 minutes, 58 seconds remaining and you could sense the Bulls were losing their grip. Two bad misses from long range by Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter Jr. coincided with strong finishes at the rim by Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin.
LaVine finished with 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting, Otto Porter Jr. scored 23 and Lauri Markkanen 18 for the Bulls.
Griffin led all scorers with 27 points, Reggie Jackson added 21 and Drummond 20 for the Pistons, who play host to the Bulls on Sunday.
