MILWAUKEE _ The Bulls are shorthanded and struggling. But some losses transcend the norm. Some losses reflect poorly on the entire organization and could lead to the blame game.
Friday night at Fiserv Forum marked such a loss.
The Bulls tied a franchise record for largest deficit in a quarter, getting outscored 46-17 in a devastating third-quarter collapse in their 123-104 loss to the Bucks. Their 78-41 second-half deficit set a new franchise mark for futility.
The quarter featured bad shot selection that led to 6-for-23 shooting, including 1-for-10 from 3-point range, indifferent defense that allowed a Khris Middleton drive all the way down the lane untouched and five turnovers.
The Bulls moved from a 22-point, second-quarter lead to a 22-point, fourth-quarter deficit. They also at one point allowed a 50-11 run.
Shorthanded or not, playing against the team with the league's best point differential and second-ranked offense or not, that's hard to do.
The Bulls were coming off one of their three inexcusable efforts in Wednesday's loss at the Celtics. The previous two times, after losses at Charlotte and at home to the Warriors, the shorthanded Bulls responded with energy _ and a victory at Atlanta and a narrow loss in a winnable game against the high-flying Nuggets at the United Center.
A similar response played out to form as the Bulls posted their highest-scoring first half of the season, leading 63-45 while shooting 11-for-17 from 3-point range. Justin Holiday knocked down all six 3-point attempts.
By the third quarter, the hot shooting cooled. The movement stopped.
Zach LaVine finished 6-for-20 for 15 points. Playing against his former team, Jabari Parker scored 15 first-quarter points _ and finished with a team-high 21 while drawing a fourth-quarter technical. It's the second straight game Parker has cooled after a hot start.
"It's unacceptable for us to have a 20-point lead and blow it that fast," LaVine said. "It just sucks. We're not getting matched up on defense. We're making mental errors."
Eric Bledsoe's 25 points led the Bucks, while Giannis Antetokounmpo added 23 points and 13 rebounds.
"We lost them in transition on a few possessions," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "And then we tried to get it all back on the other end. When they went on a run, we tried to get it back individually."
Wendell Carter Jr. raised some eyebrows after Wednesday's road loss by talking about players going their separate ways on the court when adversity hits. The veteran Holiday disagreed with the rookie's take.
"I don't necessarily feel like we ever actually split apart. I think we get down on ourselves because we want to do so well and want to win. We're not really a group of guys who separate in the bad sense," Holiday said. "Sometimes, we get down and do things not at the highest level of energy or think so much that you're taking yourself out of the game or try to be hero and do it yourself. But I don't think it's to the point where we point fingers and say, 'Forget you.' "
