BOSTON _ Let's get the obvious out of the way first: Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn, Bobby Portis and Denzel Valentine are injured, critical pieces for a team projected to win 30-something games at full strength.
In Cameron Payne, Cristiano Felicio, Shaquille Harrison, Antonio Blakeney and Ryan Arcidiacono, the roster is filled with players who have bounced between the G League and NBA.
That leaves six bonafide NBA players, two of whom in Wendell Carter Jr. and Chandler Hutchison are rookies, learning the ropes.
All that said, the Bulls hired Fred Hoiberg for his creative offensive acumen, which accomplished coaches like the Warriors' Steve Kerr has praised by admitting he steals plays from Hoiberg's playbook.
With the roster so shorthanded and defenses loading up on Zach LaVine, Hoiberg and the Bulls currently have no answers. A dismal 111-82 loss to the Celtics and their top-ranked defense is just the latest proof.
It's the fifth time in six games the Bulls have failed to score 100 points. The scoring output marked a season-low, well below the previous of 88 points.
The Bulls attempted just one free throw until deep into the third quarter. And while LaVine voiced enough frustration over a lack of calls to draw a technical foul, this also could be attributed to the Bulls settling for way too many midrange jumpers instead of attacking.
LaVine finished with 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting with four turnovers, snapping his career-best streak of 20-point games at 15. He had been the only NBA player to score at least 20 points in every game this season until Monday. Jabari Parker scored 14 points in the first quarter _ and didn't score again, adding five turnovers.
All five Celtics scored in double figures as the Bulls trailed by as many as 33, losing composure in the process. Even the mild-mannered Hutchison drew a technical foul in the fourth.
The Bulls actually led by eight early and by 24-19 after the first before enduring a dreadful second quarter. They missed 16 of 21 shots and had almost as many turnovers with seven as points with 11, getting outscored by 21.
