That 6-1 start for the Bulls seems like a lifetime ago now.
Chicago’s rut continued with a seventh straight defeat at the hands of a depleted Warriors in a resounding 123-91 defeat at home on Monday (all time AEDT).
Watch the NBA with ESPN on Kayo Sports | Stream an average of 9 regular season games LIVE per week plus the best of the NBA Playoffs.| New to Kayo? Sign up now and get your first month for just $1.
And he might be 41 soon, but don’t write off LeBron James just yet…
James took over in an epic rebound performance to lead the LA Lakers past the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Bulls suffered their second biggest defeat of the campaign to fall to 9-13 overall, with Josh Giddey and company now clinging to their play-in spot in the Eastern Conference with a half-game remaining.
Their current seven-game losing streak – the longest active streak in the NBA – is especially concerning considering certain opponents.
They include low-ranked Indiana and Brooklyn, while Billy Donovan’s team has won just three of its last 15 games.
“It’s a tough time for them, it might be one of the worst times I’ve seen a team play,” Chicago commentator Stacey King said.
His colleague Wayne Randazzo added: “It really stings, because this was supposed to be the part of the program to get bigger. And it’s just the opposite, the whole ball has deflated here because of these losses against teams at the bottom of the league.”
Giddey was the hosts’ top scorer against Golden State with 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting with three rebounds and five assists.
Brandin Podziemski’s 21 points off the bench led the Warriors, who were still missing Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Al Horford.
However, Jimmy Butler returned and had 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals as the Warriors tied back-to-back road wins after beating Cleveland on Sunday.
The Bulls have plenty of time to mull over this one, with the team not scheduled to play again until next Saturday in Charlotte, before a lighter NBA schedule in Week 8 due to NBA Cup knockout games.
“This is a team that got off to a good start and couldn’t handle the success. Once everyone started to get on you and attack you, you weren’t ready for it. That’s what happens to you,” King said during the third quarter.
“Everyone was talking about the Bills and being excited about the Bulls (saying, ‘The Bulls are back.’) We were all excited about that.
“Remember it’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon, it’s 82 games. They don’t give you a championship after six games. You have to play the whole season.
“Winning felt good for them, but you have to maintain that level of play every time you step on the field. How did you get those first five wins, you have to play five more games, and five more games.
“You have to play with the same intensity every night, you have to play defense every night. That’s the responsibility you have. You want to be a winning team and change the culture? Do those things, do the little things.”
The Bulls, down 20 midway through the third quarter, came alive at the end of the period in their best stretch.
A 3-point basket from Giddey capped an 11-0 run to bring Chicago to 86-73, before Jevon Carter added another triple to cut the deficit to 10 as the crowd came alive at the United Center.
The Bulls continued this momentum until the final stanza. A quick layup by Carter in the opening minute of the fourth put the Bulls within single digits for the first time since the second quarter at 87-79.
But Golden State responded with an emphatic 21-2 run, led by eight points from Butler, to extend its lead to a game-high 27 at 108-81 with 6:31 left.
Billy Donovan emptied his bench with more than four minutes remaining to give up the white flag following an ugly performance.
In Philadelphia, James scored 12 of his season-high 29 points in the fourth quarter and the Lakers outlasted the Sixers in a tight road finale 112-108.
Just days after his record 1,297-game double-digit scoring streak ended, James broke through with an epic 10-point streak in the fourth quarter.
It was a timely reminder that James, whose production has declined across the board since missing the first 14 games of his record 23rd NBA season due to a sciatica injury, still has it.
With the scores tied at 105-105 with 1:29 left, James buried a big 3-pointer followed by a deep jumper to give Los Angeles a five-point advantage.
Tyrese Maxey responded with a phenomenal fadeaway triple to cut the lead to two with 7.6 seconds left and give Philly a glimmer of hope. But Luka Doncic made two free throws at the other end to earn the victory.
James scored 29 points on 12-of-17 shooting with seven rebounds and six assists in his best game of the season.
Meanwhile, Doncic had a triple-double (31 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists), after missing the Lakers’ loss to Boston due to the birth of his second daughter, and Los Angeles improved to 17-6 overall.
Maxey’s 28 points led the Sixers up 13-10 and Joel Embiid added 16 on an inefficient 4-of-21 shooting in his return.
ALL RESULTS
Magic 100 Knicks 106
Celtics 121 Raptors 113
Nuggets 115 Hornets 106
TrailBlazers 96 Grizzlies 119
Warriors 123 Bulls 91
Lakers 112 76ers 108
Thunder 131 Jazz101
