Brad Penner/ USA Today Sports
It was win or go home for the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night in Game 5 against the Chicago Bulls. And win they did. The Nets beat the Bulls 110-91 at the Barclays Center, cutting the Bulls’ lead in the series to 3-2.
Both teams were coming off an emotional triple OT Game at the United Center on Saturday – a game that lasted nearly four hours (3:57). This might explain why the Bulls played much of Game 5 like they needed a can of Red Bull or a 5 Hour Energy Drink. Surprisingly, their lack of energy showed up in lackluster defense, being out-rebounded 44 to 33 and allowing the opposition to score 110 points.
The Bulls were fatigued. Three of the their starters had played upwards of 50 minutes in their marathon game on Saturday. On Monday night again three Bulls starters were called on to log hefty minutes. Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng and Nate Robinson each played upwards of 40 minutes.
Not a single player on the Nets logged 40 minutes or more. Logging heavy minutes of playing time can lead to fatigue, injury and losses.
The Bulls were without the services of starting point-guard Kirk Hinrich. Hinrich, who played 59:36 minutes in Saturday’s game, more than any player on either team, was recovering from a calf bruise he sustained early in Game 4. This injury benched Hinrich for Game 5 which, undoubtedly, contributed to the Bulls loss.
If the Bulls are going to advance to the next round, something must be done about better minutes-management. They cannot win solely on pure grit and will.
Hollie M. Woods is a writer for Rant Sports covering the Chicago Bulls and the NBA. “Like” her on Facebook.
