NBA Power Rankings: Blake Griffin trade shakes things up

The Bulls lost all four of their games this week, and were firsthand witnesses to a historic DeMarcus Cousins performance on Tuesday. Boogie went for 44 points, 24 rebounds, and 10 assist for New Orleans in their double-overtime, 132-128, victory. All five of the Bulls starters finished with double-figures in points, with Lauri Markkanen going for 14 points and 17 rebounds, but there’s not much to do when a player like Cousins is feeling it like he was. The Bulls watched Ben Simmons mess around for a triple-double, on a night when Philadelphia celebrated an Australian Heritage Night. Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic had another nice game off the bench for Chicago, combining for 37 points, but they seemed exhausted after the physical game against the Pelicans.

The Bulls couldn’t stop Brandon Ingram down the stretch, and they lost to the Lakers, 108-103, falling to 11-13 at home this season. The Bulls had a three-point lead in the fourth quarter, but gave up a 13-2 run that decided the outcome. The Bulls offense couldn’t get it done in their fourth game of the week, and they lost to the Bucks, 110-96. Chicago didn’t have a single player finish with 20 points or more, with Denzel Valentine scoring a team-high 18, and they couldn’t counter Giannis Antetokounmpo’s brilliance.