Chicago Bulls offense struggles immensely in loss to Grizzlies

The Chicago Bulls usually thrive on low-scoring, gritty, defensive battles. But on Monday night, the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Bulls at their own game. Chicago scored just 71 points, which is their lowest point total in nearly five years.

Still, the Grizzlies scored only 80 points, and shot just 37.5 percent from the field. The difference, it seems, came down to rebounds, where Memphis outperformed Chicago, 51-39. Bulls' big man Joakim Noah said,

"I think our defense was pretty good. We just got out-rebounded. We've got to do a better job of rebounding the ball as a team. We got a lot of good stops and then we ran in transition."

Chicago's real struggles were on offense. The Bulls' leading scorers, Luol Deng, and Carlos Boozer, combined to shoot 11-for-34. Guard Marco Belinelli was also just 4-for-12.

But Bulls fans shouldn't be too disappointed by Monday's awful performance. The Grizzlies are the NBA's toughest defense, allowing just 90.0 points per game. Despite their offensive difficulties, the Bulls' defense is still second-best in the NBA, at 90.4 points allowed per game.