Tired Bulls crushed by Orlando

The timing couldn't have been any worse for the Bulls.

Orlando beat Charlotte at home Thursday, but coach Stan Van Gundy didn't start any of his regulars and didn't use Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis or Vince Carter.

Van Gundy later apologized to the fans, saying he realized later how much money people might have forked over with the hope of seeing Howard or one of the other stars in action.

So when the Bulls visited the new Amway Center on Saturday night, Van Gundy was ready to give his starters heavy playing time. The Bulls, on the other hand, were coming off an overtime loss to Dallas the previous night and looked like they needed a nap back at the team hotel.

The Bulls fell behind early, shot an unimpressive 31 percent and were trampled by the Magic 107-65.

Most of the Bulls starters played less than 20 minutes, while Orlando's starting five logged at least 16 minutes in the first half alone. Carter led the Magic with 21 points, while Howard produced 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Magic shooting guard J.J. Redick, who signed an offer sheet from the Bulls this summer as a restricted free agent, hit 7 of 8 shots from the field for 16 points.

The one Bulls player who managed a respectable shooting night was guard C.J. Watson. He knocked down 6 of 11 shots for a team-high 13 points. Forward James Johnson scored 10 but hit just 3 of 12 shots.

Luol Deng had been shooting 52 percent from the field in the preseason, then hit 2 of 9 attempts against Orlando. The two former Utah players, Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver, went a combined 1-for-10 from the field.

The Bulls dropped to 2-4 in the preseason, with games remaining at Toronto on Wednesday and at home against Indiana on Friday.

Forward Taj Gibson missed his second straight game with a sore right heel. The injury is not expected to keep him out of any regular-season action. Rookie Omer Asik started in Gibson's place and collected 3 fouls in four minutes during the first quarter.

One highlight for the Bulls was the first preseason game action for former Illinois forward Roger Powell, who had a basket in about a minute-and-a-half of playing time.

Early in the game, the Bulls fell behind 9-0 and hit just 5 of 20 shots in the first quarter. By halftime, they trailed 51-23 as the starters scored a grand total of 4 points, all by Derrick Rose. Watson scored 11 of the Bulls' 23 points in the first half.