The Bulls will be happy to return to Chicago after a forgettable two-game road trip to Philly and New York that featured a pair of losses, including last night’s loss to the Knicks.

The Bulls Drop One to the Knicks; Recent Shooting Woes Continue

As Eli pointed out on Wednesday, the Bulls have recently been bad from beyond the arc. In the six games before last night’s loss to the Knicks, the Bulls were shooting just 24.3 percent from deep.

Last night, they shot an impressive 40.6 percent from three and put up 32 attempts, another correction from an ugly trend that saw them take just 29.5 three-point shots in that six-game stretch.

But most of that success can be attributed to Coby White and DeMar DeRozan, with the rest of the team’s shooting woes continuing.

White led the charge last night, hitting six of nine three-point attempts, and DeRozan hit three of four from range. White finished with 26 points, and DeRozan led the Bulls in scoring against the Knicks with 28 points.

But outside of White and DeRozan, the offense struggled against New York, shooting just 31 percent from the floor and 21 percent from beyond the arc.

Despite taking the lead into the locker room at the half, the Bulls were dominated by the Knicks in the second half and outscored 65-45. Julius Randle turned in a big performance for the Knicks, scoring 35 points.

After an encouraging 10-5 stretch that saw the Bulls’ league-worst three-point shooting the last two seasons trending in the right direction, their abbreviated two-game trip out east has been a reminder of how far this team has to go in that department.

Best of BN

Here’s where the best stories of the previous day at Bleacher Nation will live for you to read in case you missed them yesterday. We’re busy, it happens!

Chicago Bears

• According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, the hiring of Matt Eberflus was a decision made by George McCaskey and Ted Phillips, not general manager Ryan Poles. This isn’t surprising to me (or anyone), but hearing it confirmed by Cronin still feels like a kick in the groin. Will Ryan Poles and Kevin Warren have control over who coaches the Bears next season, or will the self-proclaimed non-football guy George McCaskey’s opinion decide it this time around?

• Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson and pass rusher Montez Sweat will head to Orlando to participate in the NFL’s Pro Bowl Games next month. Sweat earning a Pro Bowl nod was much deserved and made the extension the Bears handed him in November look great. Johnson’s was well deserved, and it’ll earn him some extra scratch in the extension he’s looking to get from the Bears this offseason.

Chicago Blackhawks

• The Blackhawks have made a roster move! With injuries mounting, Chicago claimed defenseman Jaycob Megna off waivers from the Seattle Kraken. Tab helps you get to know the former seventh-rounder.

• Are you looking for your Blackhawks fix beyond their contest with the New York Rangers today? Here’s a handy viewing guide of a packed world juniors and collegiate schedule featuring Blackhawks prospects.

Chicago Bulls

• If the Zach LaVine trade market seems slow, it’s because teams are looking to see what LaVine can do to impact winning. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said as much on Wednesday on NBA Today. That makes perfect sense. With LaVine missing time due to an injury again this season and the Bulls playing better basketball without him in his absence, winning teams in the market for an addition at the trade deadline will be interested in someone who can elevate their hopes for an NBA title.

Chicago Cubs

• Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy did a hit on Mully & Haugh on Wednesday, and he shared his wish list for this offseason (which is almost over already), and it looks a lot like most of ours do. Brett recapped Hottovy’s comments and unpacked them a bit.

• MLB insider Ken Rosenthal believes that the Cubs have a move up their sleeve. Rosenthal said on Wednesday’s episode of Foul Territory that he expects them to make “at least one trade.” Michael has thoughts on Rosenthal’s prediction and some similar commentary from Jeff Passan.

D.J. Moore Pro Bowl Snub

Getting selected as a Pro Bowler doesn’t mean as much today as it has in the past, but that shouldn’t take away from the severity of the snub that Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore was dealt on Wednesday.

Montez Sweat and Jaylon Johnson were named as participants on Wednesday (excellent), but Moore was not (not awesome).

In the age of the wide receiver, 92 catches, 1,300 yards, and eight touchdowns are objectively extraordinary numbers, but they don’t get the job done these days.

A.J. Brown, Mike Evans, CeeDee Lamb, and Puka Nacua were selected for the NFC team. Brown has 105 catches for 1,447 yards and seven scores this season. CeeDee Lamb is having a monster season, checking in today with 122 catches, 1,651 yards, and 10 touchdowns. Puka Nacua just needs to have a mildly impressive game on Sunday to break the all-time rookie records for catches and receiving yards.

But Mike Evans isn’t having the same type of season that that trio is having. Evans has 76 catches for 1,233 yards and 13 touchdowns. Again, excellent numbers. Nothing there to scoff at. However, there’s a legitimate case to be made that Moore has had a better season and should have gotten the nod over Williams.

While you may not care about the Pro Bowl, the players certainly do. Just ask D.J. Moore himself:

What’s on deck?

• The Blackhawks are in action tonight in New York, taking on the Rangers. Puck drop is set for 6 PM CT, and you can catch the action on NBC Sports Chicago and ESPN+.