Bulls' defensive woes hit historic low

The last time the Bulls’ defense was this bad, Michael Jordan was in the midst of his second NBA season.

A 103-88 loss to Atlanta Friday night marked Chicago’s 12th-consecutive game in which it allowed 100 points or more. That streak matches the Bulls’ longest in the 28 seasons since Phil Jackson took over as coach in 1989, according to a previous Sun-Times report.

Via ESPN’s Jacob Nitzberg, the last time the Bulls had a longer streak of giving up 100 or more points was a 25-game stretch from Dec. 21, 1985-Feb. 17, 1986.

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Chicago has a chance to extend its streak to a new 30-year low Saturday night when it takes on a Portland team ranked eighth in the NBA in scoring at the United Center.

The streak has been aided by a slew of injuries that has hit the Bulls since New Year’s Day.

Derrick Rose and Nikola Mirotic were both out Friday in Atlanta along with two of Chicago’s best defensive players, Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah, who have been absent for nine of the 12 games.

Unfortunately for coach Fred Hoiberg, neither is coming to the rescue. Noah is expected to miss the remainder of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery last month and Hoiberg said recently that Butler is still “a ways away” from returning.

Instead, the Bulls are just hoping to stay afloat in a competitive Eastern Conference while waiting on impact players to return. They enter Saturday’s game in eighth place – 1.5 games ahead of No. 9 Detroit.

Stats via ESPN