CHICAGO _ There's a game within the games for the Bulls these days. It's called: Get to Know Your Teammates.
With Kris Dunn still sidelined by his Jan. 17 concussion and Zach LaVine trying to acclimate himself with players he's practiced with less than G Leaguers, the Bulls are struggling. Following their 108-103 loss to the Lakers, they're now 1-3 since Dunn went down.
More tellingly, they've devolved from the unselfish, swing-the-ball mentality that defined their strongest stretch to more "my-turn" shots. For the second time in three days, coach Fred Hoiberg subtly questioned LaVine's shot selection.
"He's obviously got the ability to make tough shots. I thought he settled for a couple, especially contested long midrange twos," Hoiberg said. "We showed him good examples of when he did attack the switch and he's got to get to the rim or make a play for a teammate by drawing the defense and kicking out for an open 3.
"Our guys are getting used to him. He's getting used to our players. As he continues to integrate himself into the lineup, he's going to hopefully get more comfortable, especially as his minutes go up."
Those minutes went up to a season-high 26 against the Lakers. But LaVine struggled with his shot, finishing 3 for 17 for 10 points.
At least LaVine attacked the rim late, drawing a foul once but missing both free throws and then drawing the defense to allow Lauri Markkanen to almost put back his miss with a dunk attempt on which Markkanen thought he got fouled. It's the most emotion Markkanen has showed arguing for a call all season.
The sequence came during a brutal stretch for the Bulls after they had erased all of an early 17-point deficit and a 12-point deficit after three quarters.
After taking a 97-96 lead on two free throws from Nikola Mirotic, who scored 14 of his 18 in the fourth, Julius Randle stole the ball from Markkanen in the post and converted a three-point play in transition. Markkanen missed a 3-point heave to beat the shot clock and Brandon Ingram sank a jumper. LaVine then missed his two free throws.
The Bulls clearly miss Dunn. Hoiberg used a fourth-quarter lineup that played well with Denzel Valentine at point guard. The reserves played well overall. Valentine posted his third double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Bobby Portis added 16 points.
