CHICAGO _ As if the Bulls didn't own enough woes with Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn, Bobby Portis and Denzel Valentine all injured, Zach LaVine missed Saturday's 122-83 loss to the Raptors with an illness.
The offense, or lack thereof, played out in predictable fashion.
The Bulls barely eclipsed by one point their season-low for points, shot a season-low 34.9 percent, committed 22 turnovers and failed to score 100 points for the sixth time in eight games.
Antonio Blakeney "led" the Bulls with 13 points _ on 6-for-19 shooting. The Bulls trailed by as many as 40.
Coach Fred Hoiberg opted to start Cameron Payne alongside Ryan Arcidiacono to keep Blakeney and Shaquille Harrison in their customary bench roles. And if that previous sentence sounded like it came from a Windy City Bulls story, well, you get the picture.
Payne became the starter only because Dunn strained his left MCL. Payne promptly lost his job first to Arcidiacono and then his reserve role to Harrison. Payne had played just 11 mop-up minutes in the previous four games before Saturday.
Welcome to this injury-ravaged and illness-plagued season, in which point guards move from first to third string and back again.
"Everybody has had opportunities," Hoiberg said before the game. "That's one of the reason we decided to go with Cam. He's been a starter. Archie is kind of a utility guy who can play off the ball. We'll keep Shaq and Antonio in their roles as far as coming off the bench.
"This is an opportunity for guys to step up. We're missing a quarter of our offense with Zach on the bench. No one is going to replace that on their own."
Or, in most cases, collectively. Justin Holiday and Jabari Parker were the only Bulls starters to reach double figures _ and barely, with 12 points apiece.
Also, LaVine and his 25.3 points per game weren't on the bench in street clothes at the United Center. The Bulls sent him home.
That's where the Raptors are headed after snapping a three-game skid that included an overtime loss Friday in Boston. The Bulls also were finishing a back-to-back set following their epic collapse to the Bucks in Milwaukee.
The Raptors rested All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard and started Fred VanVleet because Norman Powell, OG Anunoby and C.J. Miles all sat with injuries. VanVleet's 18 points led a balanced attack that featured 31 assists on 48 field goals and 53.9 percent shooting.
"It's funny. We talked about how much versatility we had at the wing because we had so many young players," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "And we have four of them out."
The Bulls can relate.
LaVine actually played through his illness on Friday in Milwaukee but admitted he didn't feel well afterward and could be heard coughing loudly in the postgame locker room.
"Zach battled through," Hoiberg said. "He wasn't feeling very well (Friday). He kind of caught it on Thursday night. His symptoms got worse overnight. Saw him a couple hours ago at the Advocate Center as we were putting our game plan together for the game, and you could tell he's not doing well. So we decided the smart thing to do was to sit him."
The Bulls have three days off between games for the first time this season, next facing the Suns at home Wednesday. LaVine is expected to be healthy by then. Will the Bulls be?
