Bulls can't shoot straight in summer loss
The Bulls are heading into next season with the clear goal of landing a high lottery pick.
Their summer squad adapted to the plan nicely by suffering a dismal 75-55 loss to Atlanta on Monday in Las Vegas, dropping to 0-2 in summer-league play.
The Bulls were awful from the outset, hitting just 1 of their first 16 shots from the field. At halftime, they were 0-for-13 from 3-point range.
By the end of the game, the numbers improved only slightly. The Bulls shot 21.9 percent overall and hit just 4 of 35 attempts from behind the arc. Rookie Lauri Markkanen struggled, going 1-for-13 from the field and 0-for-10 from 3-point land. Last year's No. 1 pick, Denzel Valentine, was just as bad, hitting 1 of 12 shots overall, 0 of 8 from long range, with 4 turnovers.
Cameron Payne was the Bulls' top scorer with 12 points, but didn't play particularly well, finishing with 4 turnovers and 1 assist. He hit 4-of-11 shots from the field. Shooting guard Antonio Blakeney, a rookie from LSU, added 11 points.
The Bulls played without guard Kris Dunn (personal reasons) and forward Paul Zipser (sprained ankle). Both players are likely out for the remainder of summer league. The Bulls play again Tuesday against Washington (5 p.m., NBATV).
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