Donovan Mitchell's Historic Night Hands Bulls Their Second Straight Loss

The Chicago Bulls' weekend was a direct reflection of the entire season. Lackluster defense, questionable officiating, and opposing players having a field day were just a few of the features. Losing back-to-back against a playoff-caliber Cleveland Cavaliers team isn't ideal, but with both having come down to the final shot, it's not the end of the world in the Windy City. During the latter, the Bulls conceded the largest comeback of the season in the NBA so far, blowing a 21-point lead. As if that wasn't enough of a gut punch, Donovan Mitchell scored the eighth-most points ever in an NBA game with 71, the most since Kobe Bryant's 81-point masterpiece in 2006.

"Last Two-Minute Report"

The Last Two-Minute Report, or 'L2M', is a report sent out by the NBA to review the referees' accuracy during the final two minutes of every game. Detailed are whether or not calls were missed altogether, called accurately during the game, or wrongfully called when they should not have been. Yes, every team can argue that calls go both ways all game, or that the officials are humans and will make mistakes; no argument there. The debate comes when on back-to-back nights, a team is blatantly disadvantaged by fouls that were not called or violations that were missed during the game, resulting in two losses that could very well have turned into wins had the officiating crew either called them correctly at the moment or reviewed and corrected them during play.

In their first meeting on Saturday, DeMar DeRozan attempted a baseline jumper as time expired, ultimately missing and the Bulls losing by one. In the 'L2M' released on Sunday, it was determined that he was fouled on that shot attempt and should have been awarded two free throws with no time left on the clock. That's not to say he would have made both or even one, but as a top-20 free-throw shooter at an 89% rate, it's sickening to Chicago that he didn't get the chance.

If that wasn't bad enough, try two missed calls in the final 15 seconds of last night's overtime loss. To force overtime, Donovan Mitchell intentionally missed the second of two free throws with under five seconds left, with the hope of getting an offensive rebound since they were down by two. He successfully missed, clearly stepped in the lane before the ball hit the rim, got his rebound, and tied the game with no violation called. Again, this does not discount being outhustled all night and outplayed in overtime, but it sure is infuriating. Jarrett Allen was also found guilty of a traveling violation just ten seconds before the violation by Mitchell.

Donovan Mitchell's Historic Night

Scoring 13 in the extra period that should not have existed puts a bit of a damper on Mitchell's historical performance in the eyes of Bulls' fans, but it will still live in the record books for years to come. Scoring the most points anyone has scored against the Chicago Bulls in the franchise's history, coming down from the most significant deficit to win in the NBA this season, and scoring the eighth-most points in the history of the game all warrant respect despite the questionable means by which it came. Mitchell shot only nine fewer free throws than the entire Bulls team and added eight rebounds and 11 assists in his near triple-double performance.

Chicago has proven time and time again not to have a tenacious defender who can take out the opposition's best scorer. Mitchell joins Giannis Antetokounmpo (twice), Kevin Porter Jr., RJ Barrett, Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, and Jason Tatum in scoring 36 or more against Chicago, three of whom also scored over 44. Whether it be Patrick Williams, Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso, or a trade deadline addition, the Bulls need a defensive menace who can have some pride in shutting down a team's first option.

Head coach Billy Donovan and company will need a short memory; they've got three of the Eastern Conference's top-five seeds in their next four contests. Back at the United Center, they'll first play host to the blistering Brooklyn Nets, winners of their last twelve games heading into this one. Now sitting outside the playoff picture entirely, the Bulls continue to take one step forward, followed by two steps back. They will need to flip that script before too long, or a massacre could come to fruition at the trade deadline.