With LaVine’s return looming, Bulls throw up a dud in Philly

The new year has arrived. Can the Bulls stay on a roll in 2024 after finishing last year with a 10-5 stretch?

The answer on Tuesday in Philadelphia was absolutely not. The Bulls were outscored by 25 points in a miserable first quarter and limped to a 110-97 loss to the 76ers. They'll play again Wednesday on national television against the Knicks.

The other looming question is whether Zach LaVine, Billy Donovan and the rest of the Bulls can thrive together in '24, a whole lot better than they did in the early part of the season.

LaVine, out since Nov. 30 with a foot injury, has practiced twice with the Windy City Bulls. If all goes well, it's possible he could return to the lineup Friday when the Bulls host Charlotte.

Immediately prior to the Bulls' 10-5 surge, they went 1-8 starting right around the time a report suggested the Bulls and LaVine were open to a trade. Knowing how the NBA works these days with star players requesting trades, it was easy to read that as a sign LaVine's camp wants a new home.

The Bulls' body language and effort level plummeted during that stretch, but it all turned around on the first day LaVine left the lineup. For the Bulls to have any chance to make a trade, LaVine needs to prove he's both healthy and able to contribute to winning.

So there's incentive from his side to fit back in. Then again, it's possible no team wants to take on the $138 million LaVine is owed over the next three seasons.

His Bulls teammates have remained complimentary with their public comments. Inside the locker room, it appears the door is being held open for LaVine's return. Making it work, though, is bound to be a challenge.

Before Tuesday's game, Donovan said his conversations with LaVine have been positive. The best explanation for the Bulls' turnaround is they started displaying traits Donovan talked about before the season – sharing the ball, getting into the paint and pushing the pace.

The Bulls did nothing right during the first quarter in Philadelphia. They went 0-for-10 from 3-point range, while the Sixers were 7-for-11. At one point, the score was 41-12.

“The way we shoot the basketball cannot impact the physicality we have to play with defensively, and I thought they pretty much were getting whatever they wanted,” Donovan told reporters after the game. “I thought our contest rate to start the game was not great. We then picked it up, but we just couldn't shoot the ball at all.

“I thought we generated good looks, we just didn't make any. But it can't impact the other end of the floor, because you can still make it a somewhat low-scoring game if you're not scoring.”

The Bulls (15-20) had a couple of new injuries in this game. Patrick Williams got an early hook and Donovan said it was because he wasn't moving well on a sore ankle. Williams did not play in the second half and logged just 11 minutes, but at least he did knock down the first 3-point basket of the night for the Bulls after they missed their first 13 attempts.

Coby White left the game in the third quarter. He drove to the basket, slipped on the floor, went to the ground and grabbed for his right ankle. Donovan said White could have gone back in the game, but there was no point with the lopsided score.

Center Nikola Vucevic missed his fourth straight game with an adductor strain and he has not yet resumed full activity, so he's probably at least a week away from returning. Andre Drummond didn't have a huge impact Tuesday, but still finished with 11 points and 17 rebounds. Drummond has averaged 20.3 boards in four games as a starter.

There were a couple of milestones by Bulls rookie in this game. Julian Phillips hit his first 3-point basket, while Adama Sanogo scored his first basket in the NBA.

The Bulls will face a new-look Knicks team after they traded R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto for OG Anunoby.

“I'm not a big flush game guy,” Donovan said. “I think there's always something to be learned in any situation, but we have to move forward from this, just for the game tomorrow.”

Twitter: @McGrawDHSports