The only thing that is certain about the Chicago Bulls is their confounding inconsistency. The Bulls looked sluggish versus the Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago’s big guns were not to be found.

Memphis got two key performances from its two stars, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, who both scored 27 points.  Rajon Rondo had 17 for the Bulls to go with 8 assists and 6 rebounds, a solid effort.  Jimmy Butler had 14 points on 4-16 shooting. Dwyane Wade added just 8 points on 3-11 from the floor.

It wasn’t a strong night for the Bulls, which shot just 37.4% from the field. This is an off-night, but the Bulls have had many nights like these. Losing six out of seven is not leaping into the playoffs. If the Bulls make it, it will be a photo finish.

Some nights, this team just doesn’t play aggressively. Like, “you are on our home court, and this is our turf.”  If you can’t play with that attitude, often you wind up losing. In the brief moments I saw, the Bulls looked a bit lethargic.  Throw in the patented Grizzlies’ defense, it is hard to beat a good team.

Nikola Mirotic scored 14 points for the Bulls who lacked an offensive punch all night. They scored 20 points in the fourth quarter.  This is a home game.  You have to have a better effort than that.

Butler has been off his game lately and the Bulls need him to come around.  Otherwise there might not be a playoff push.

Update:  Dwyane Wade is now expected to miss the remainder of the NBA season with a small fracture in his right elbow.