Things couldn’t have gone much worse for the Bulls than they did in the first five minutes of their game Wednesday against the 76ers at the United Center.
They were held to one point — a free throw by guard Zach LaVine — and allowed 23. Their first field goal didn’t come until close to the six-minute mark, when Nikola Vucevic enforced his will and slammed home a dunk.
But it turned out the 76ers’ 22-point lead in the first quarter wasn’t the worst of things. The Bulls went into the half trailing by 28 points on their way to having their three-game winning streak broken in a 116-91 loss, despite 76ers star Joel Embiid spending the entire second half in the locker room and teammate James Harden on the bench with an Achilles injury.
To make matters worse, forward DeMar DeRozan left in the third quarter with a strained right quadriceps and didn’t return. He declined to meet with the media afterward.
‘‘This was a game, to me, very similar to Game 2 against Milwaukee in the playoffs [last season],’’ coach Billy Donovan said. ‘‘[On Monday] in Philly, it was a hard-fought game, double-overtime.
‘‘It started from the beginning [Wednesday]. We were just constantly playing catch-up. They were quicker, sharper, just better all the way around.’’
Donovan didn’t have an update on DeRozan’s status, but he said there’s always concern with a recurring injury.
‘‘I haven’t gotten anything that he’s going to be out for a period of time,’’ Donovan said.
Earlier in the day, LaVine had talked at length about the Bulls’ newfound focus. But the 76ers had no problems running through them. Before reserves came in to close the game, the 76ers were shooting 54.7% from the field and 48.1% from three-point range. De’Anthony Melton scored 25 points, Tyrese Maxey 21 and Tobias Harris 20 to lead the way.
One Bulls victory against Embiid — who had been unbeaten in his first 12 games against them — was a lot to ask for. That’s why it took the Bulls two overtimes to accomplish it Monday. But two victories against him in three nights was more than the Bulls could muster.
Not only did Embiid not play in the second half, but he didn’t even re-emerge from the locker room after the break. He reportedly had mild tightness in his right calf and finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 16 minutes, snapping his run of 10 games in a row with 30 or more points.
The Bulls showed little life offensively. LaVine shot 6-for-15 from the field and finished with 16 points and four assists. DeRozan went 0-for-7 from the field, scoring his only four points from the free-throw line. As a team, they shot 41% from the field and 24% from three-point range.
Guard Coby White came off the bench to lead the Bulls with 19 points.
‘‘They didn’t come in here and run a whole new offense and we ran a whole new offense,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘Our pop and intensity wasn’t where it needed to be.’’
The loss cut the Bulls’ lead over the Pacers, who beat the Raptors, to 1½ games in the battle for the last play-in spot in the East.
Six of the Bulls’ remaining 10 games are on the road and include matchups against the Clippers, Mavericks and Bucks. They also host the Grizzlies.
What they proved Wednesday is that their hold on a berth in the play-in is anything but strong.
