Billy Donovan laments the Chicago Bulls' effort in loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers: "They outworked us"

Donovan holds nothing back as he calls out the lackluster effort of the Bulls after their loss to the Cavaliers.

© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls’ old habits returned to haunt them as their general lack of energy at the start of the game gave the Cleveland Cavaliers the runway to take off and build a 40-21 lead after the first quarter. That set the tone for the rest of the game, as the Bulls caught up but ran out of steam down the stretch and lost 109-91.

Hot start

The Bulls’ inattentiveness on defense gave opportunities for Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell to get going, and he made the most of them, making two triples early in the first to give his squad an 8-0 lead. It was all downhill from there for Chicago as Cleveland tallied 40 points in the first, the bulk of the points coming from beyond the arc, where the Cavs went 8-of-14.

But that was only the tip of the iceberg for the Bulls' struggles. The Cavs also grabbed more rebounds (14-6), were faster to the loose balls, resulting in a 9-0 advantage on second-chance points, and were quicker in transition (9-2 on fastbreaks) in that pivotal stretch.

“They just outworked us, to be honest with you,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said.

“Came up with loose balls, did a lot of those things, and we just dug ourselves a hole.”

Deanerrr. 👌@deanwade3232 | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/gWoBOVP8Ct

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 16, 2024

Comeback fell short

The Bulls made a ferocious comeback in the second half and even grabbed an 81-80 lead early in the fourth. However, the energy the Bulls spent coming back from the huge deficit took its toll on them down the stretch. The Cavs, led by Mitchell and Caris Levert, were able to maintain their lead and eventually pull away for the win.

After the game, Bulls coach Billy Donovan lamented the team’s turnovers and mistakes, which proved costly.

“What was disappointing was a lot of the (mistakes) when we went up one were self-induced. It was rushed shots, turnovers, offensive rebounds; all stuff we did to ourselves.”

Tough one. Toronto up next. pic.twitter.com/V8oY6XgF8m

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 16, 2024

HC Billy Donovan sees the Bulls' loss to the Cavaliers as a "learning experience" for Coby White