The Windy City Bulls continued to slip in their March schedule with a 137-100 loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Sunday. Forward Mouhamadou Gueye would end the night with 28 points and seven rebounds as he fought to keep the Bulls afloat in the Sunday showdown. Center Omer Yurtseven led the Valley Vipers with a 22-point, 14-rebound double-double in what would be his first G League matchup since the 2022-23 season.
An ice-cold start for both sides froze the score at 2-0 for nearly three minutes after Vipers forward Cameron Matthews scored the game’s first points. Yurtseven, a former reserve big for the NBA’s Miami Heat and Utah Jazz, finally got things going for the Vipers with as they climbed out to an early 8-point lead. While Kevin Knox tried to right the ship with the Bulls’ first bucket, a string of miscues and a failed 3-point barrage limited the Windy City to 18 points in the first quarter. It started to show some sparks of life as guard Mac McClung scored two consecutive buckets shortly out of a timeout, but it wouldn’t be enough to stop the Skyhawks from taking a 14-point lead and forcing six turnovers by quarter’s end.
The Bulls would end the night with a 37.8% clip from the floor and 16.7% from the 3-point line as they failed to light a spark on both sides of the floor. McClung still found a way to continue a streak of 20 points or more that has lasted since the Tip-Off Tournament, when the Windy City claimed a win over the Grand Rapids Gold behind three 20-point nights from the Bulls. The NBA Rising Stars participant logged a team-high nine assists as he continued to play a lead role for the Bulls in his first matchup since late February.
The Bulls will move on to face the College Park Skyhawks, who entered Sunday’s schedule tied with the Wisconsin Herd in last place in the Eastern Conference. The Atlanta Hawks affiliate last defeated the Noblesville Boom in what would be their second win in five matchups. Forward Isaih Moore, now on his fourth G League squad this season, led the charge for the Skyhawks as he notched a season-high 26 points on a near-perfect clip from the floor. The former Fresno State forward has suited up for the Greensboro Swarm, Mexico City Capitanes and San Diego Clippers before his time with the Skyhawks this season.
The Bulls will face the Wisconsin Herd, along with three other Eastern Conference opponents, as they enter the final stretch of their regular-season run. The Valley Suns, who fell to about 13th place in the West following a Saturday loss to the Rip City Remix, will be the Windy City’s only remaining Western opponent. The Bulls last defeated the Herd in an 8-point victory last month, when the guard duo of McClung and Yuki Kawamura combined for 64 points in the home win. While a shorthanded Bulls squad fell behind in two matchups against the Cleveland Charge, the Windy City has prevailed in key matchups against the Osceola Magic and Long Island Nets during the regular season.
The Bulls will tip off against the Skyhawks at 7 p.m. CDT on Tuesday in NOW Arena.
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