The day the NBA released the regular-season schedule, Jan. 1 looked like an insurmountable task for the Bulls.
The third road game in four nights, the second game in the back-to-back, all wrapped up with a nice little white and green bow that it was against Eastern Conference powerhouse Milwaukee.
Ugly on paper, and proving to be a nightmare in reality.
Once again down four players because of the NBA coronavirus protocols, the Bulls played like they were 10 men down, out-hustled and out-classed, losing 126-96 Friday night.
And the bad news is help might not be coming anytime soon.
The Bulls will be off on Saturday, but back at it on Sunday against Dallas, before leaving for the West Coast for a four-team trip. Expect the team charter to once again be a bit light.
Coach Billy Donovan was able to get a bit more transparent with the situation, letting the media know that it was reserve forward Chandler Hutchison who tested positive, while Lauri Markkanen, Tomas Satoransky and Ryan Arcidiacono were put in the health and safety protocol likely because of contact tracing.
Hutchison remained in Washington with the NBA now handling his situation and when he can get back to Chicago, while the other three players were back in Chicago, according to Donovan.
It was the second time this season that the Bulls have been dealing with multiple players in the protocol, despite the front office and coaching staff really being sticklers with all the rules put in place.
That’s the frustrating part of this for Donovan. Even in doing all the right things, the virus still wasn’t cooperating.
“The organization has been great,’’ Donovan said, when asked if he was expecting any of this when he accepted the job to coach the Bulls. “We still get a chance to do basketball. There’s just a lot of inconveniences to be quite honest with you and it’s just kind of the way of the world. It’s a totally different environment. I really didn’t know what to expect when I took the job. But I really didn’t know what to expect even going into Orlando to the bubble [last summer].
“So I think going into the season nobody really knew what it was going to be like or how it would be like. I am enjoying it. The year is challenging in a lot of different areas … you wake up in the morning and you don’t know maybe who’s gonna be available and not available.’’
Giannis Antetokounmpo was available for the Bucks, and didn’t really have much sympathy for the visiting team’s problems.
The two-time MVP scored 29 points in just 28 minutes of work, grabbing 12 rebounds and finishing plus-31 in the plus/minus category.
To put that in perspective: Bulls starters Otto Porter Jr., Patrick Williams and Wendell Carter Jr. also scored 29 points – combined.
If there was a positive for the Bulls (2-4) it was that the game was decided fairly early, with the Bucks outscoring the Bulls 27-21 in the first quarter, and then blowing them out in the second stanza, 35-19.
It also allowed Donovan to throw Williams into the deep end, seeing if he’d sink or swim guarding Antetokounmpo.
“Of course he’s good, of course it was a challenge, but when Coach told me I mean in my career I want to be a guy that guards the best player night in and night out, and I think [Friday] was definitely a step forward for me, just getting more comfortable guarding guys like that,’’ Williams said. “My chest on fire right now just from the shoulders he gave me.’’
