Chicago’s Bulls and Blackhawks each only won one game this week, sitting towards the bottom of their divisions.
Chicago’s Bulls and Blackhawks each only won one game this week, sitting towards the bottom of their divisions.
As the Chicago Bulls sit in the 12th spot in the Eastern Conference, they lost back-to-back home games and won one game this past week for their 29th win and 42nd loss on the season. The Chicago Blackhawks did the same this past week, winning one and losing two, pushing them to last in the Central Division.
The Bulls lost to the Toronto Raptors March 18 with a final score of 139-109. The Bulls lost the first half 72-45 as well as a 67-64 second half. Toronto’s forward RJ Barrett scored 23 points while Chicago’s forward Matas Buzelis scored 18.
The next night, the Bulls lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a close, five-point game. Losing the first half 61-45, they fought through the second half. Starting down 18 in the fourth quarter, the Bulls managed to close the gap by two points with three minutes left in the game.
The Bulls attempted to foul to win back the game, with a three point gap of 113-110 in the last eight seconds, but the Cavaliers made both their free throw shots, pulling ahead 115-110 to end the game.
The Bulls finally found success at home March 23, as they beat the Houston Rockets 132-124. The Bulls pulled ahead right away in the first quarter, winning it by 20. The Rockets tried to close the gap, but the Bulls held a 17-point lead to end the half up 65-48.
The game didn’t get close until the fourth quarter, when the Rockets brought the score to a close 95-91, the Bulls maintaining the lead. The score was tied multiple times in the fourth quarter, with it tied at 118 with under two minutes remaining.
The Bulls managed to hold the Rockets at 124 with 30 seconds remaining while they went on a five-point run to win the game.
The Blackhawks competed in their second game against the Minnesota Wild March 19, and succeeded with a 2-1 win against them after their last match went into overtime.
Right wing Ilya Mikheyev scored a goal in the 16th minute of the first period to put the Blackhawks in the lead. Blackhawks’ center Connor Bedard scored a goal in the 11th minute of the second period, shutting the Wild out until the 15th minute, when center Nico Sturm scored a goal.
Neither team scored in the third period, but the Blackhawks’ goalie Spencer Knight made a last-minute save in the last three seconds of the game to secure the win.
The Blackhawks struggled against the Colorado Avalanche the next night, losing 4-1. The Avalanche started the game with two goals in the first period, scored by center Martin Necas in the 13th minute and center Brock Nelson in the 15th. The Blackhawks didn’t score a single goal until defenseman Wyatt Kaiser scored in the sixth minute of the second period.
Avalanche’s center Nazem Kadri scored within the first minute of the third period, giving them a 3-1 lead. Colorado scored their fourth goal in the eighth minute from defenseman Devon Toews and held the Blackhawks from scoring for the rest of the match.
The Blackhawks played again Sunday March 22, losing in overtime to the Nashville Predators. Following a scoreless first period, the Blackhawks scored their first goal in the fourth minute on a shot from left wing Nick Lardis. The Predators quickly shot back as left-wing Filip Forsberg scored during the sixth minute.
Bedard put the Blackhawks ahead as the second period ended. The Predators’ center Steven Stamkos scored another goal during the ninth minute of the third period to tie the game at two. Neither team scored again until the game ended, pushing it to overtime.
Forsberg scored his second goal of the game to win it for the Predators 3-2, just over a minute into overtime.
The Blackhawks play next Tuesday March 24 at 6 p.m. against the New York Islanders, and the Bulls play next Wednesday March 25 at 6 p.m. against the Philadelphia 76ers.
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