CHICAGO _ It might be time for more meetings _ or, more accurately, more practice.
The Bulls tried to put a tumultuous 48 hours in their rearview mirror on Monday night, but their spirited first-half play devolved into a turnover fest and inability to guard De'Aaron Fox as the Kings rallied for a 108-89 victory.
Not even the returns of Kris Dunn and Bobby Portis could save the Bulls, who committed a season-high 27 turnovers while losing for the 13th time in 15 games. The Kings scored 31 points off the Bulls' gifts.
Fox scored 23 of his 25 points in the second half as the Kings outscored the Bulls 63-33 over the final two quarters. The Bulls were booed off the floor for the second straight home game.
"We got stung in the third quarter," coach Jim Boylen said. "We missed some defensive assignments. Turnovers hurt us. We have a lot to clean up."
For at least one half, the Bulls, to steal Boylen's phrase, played for each other, not with each other.
And they got healthy.
Dunn and Portis returned from their respective sprained MCLs suffered two days apart in late October. The Bulls were trying to respond not only to Saturday's franchise-record, 56-point loss to the Celtics but also a Sunday that featured two hours of team meetings after two or three players in a group text exchange advocated support for a boycott of practice.
"We're together," Portis said.
He meant spiritually after what transpired Sunday. Save for Denzel Valentine's season-ending ankle surgery, Portis also could've meant physically.
Playing in just his second game this season and first since Oct. 22, Dunn finished with nine points, six assists and three rebounds in 20 minutes. Sidelined since Oct. 24 and playing in just his fifth game, Portis added nine points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes.
"It's nice to start getting guys back," Robin Lopez said. "I do wish Fred (Hoiberg) had been given that opportunity. But we have Jim as our coach now. I don't feel (Hoiberg lost the locker room) at all. We don't have those guys on our team where that's going to happen.
"Jim has gone about things the way he wants to go about it. He wanted to make an impression. And like I said, I think we're the better for it. They have different styles. And I think both styles can be effective."
Boylen's style, which has featured harder practices and more confrontation both behind closed doors with his players and with his public criticism of players, contrasts sharply with that of Hoiberg's. But Hoiberg, whom Lopez said he felt did "a great job," thought he'd at least get some time with a healthy roster before management fully decided his future.
Instead, Boylen gets the benefits.
"We need a leader," Dunn said. "We need somebody who is going to be consistent and bring it every day. We are a young team and we need somebody to lead the pack and everybody's going to follow behind. And it's not one leader. We need to have multiple."
This marked just the 13th time that Zach LaVine, Dunn and Lauri Markkanen _ the principals in the Jimmy Butler trade _ played together and first since LaVine played fully rehabilitated from his left ACL injury. LaVine finished with 19 points and six turnovers, while Markkanen missed seven of eight 3-pointers and managed just 13 points.
"I miss playing with the guys," Dunn said, "Just trying to move forward under a new coaching staff. We got the whole band back together and we can see what we can do from here on out."
