The Bulls (19-27) dropped their fifth straight game, 121-116 at the Phoenix Suns (33-14).
Here are 15 observations:
1. With Zach LaVine, Coby White and Garrett Temple sidelined, Billy Donovan rolled out an unconventional starting lineup:
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That's 407 total inches of height -- pretty tall, but seven inches short of the tallest recorded starting unit to play in an NBA game. The Dallas Mavericks trotted out a lineup that measured 414 inches tall on May 4, 1999 in a 110-100 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics.
2. That unit got off to a 13-6 start and made five of its first six shots. Lauri Markkanen was especially aggressive early in his return to the starting lineup, posting 10 points and 5 rebounds in his opening frame.
That included a loud dunk, and-one finish, floater-range jumper and flying offensive rebound-to-putback sequence that drew two free-throw attempts. He shot 3-for-4, with all three of his makes in the paint, and visited the charity stripe five times. Refreshing variety.
3. Daniel Theis fouled Jae Crowder on a (made) 3-pointer with the Bulls ahead 26-21... Officially completing his transition to the team. That four-point play sparked a six-point possession after a Cam Payne floater, and the Suns led 39-37 after a high-octane first quarter.
4. Patrick Williams drew a brutal, brutal defensive assignment in Devin Booker with the Bulls injury-stricken, and Booker did his thing, scoring 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting in the first half. Williams had some tough moments on the perimeter early, and also a few solid possessions that Booker punctuated with unconscious shotmaking.
Booker had 36 points through three quarters and finished with 45 on 17-for-24 shooting, including a clutch, late lay-in to put the Suns ahead 117-112 with 34.1 seconds to play. The Bulls, who also tried Troy Brown Jr. and Tomáš Satoranský as his primary defender, didn't have much of an answer, though Williams got better as the game went along.
5. Williams had the play of the night, and perhaps his rookie season:
That is a ludicrous defensive play. 19-year-olds don't make that play. He finished with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting (2-for-3 from behind the arc) on the offensive end, his second consecutive game in double-figures.
6. While we're on Booker: The Suns offense absolutely whirred in this one. They dished 22 assists -- nine from Chris Paul -- and shot 60 percent, including 10-for-18 from 3-point range, in the first half. Phoenix led 68-57 at the break.
7. By mid-third quarter, that lead swelled to 81-65 -- the Suns shot 12-for-18 in the period -- but the Bulls punched back to trim that to as few as five before entering the fourth down 94-86. Twelve of Nikola Vučević's 24 points came in the third, as he anchored a reserve-laden unit.
8. Chris Paul scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, and finished the game with 14 assists. It was a repeat of his performance on Feb. 26, when he broke the Bulls' hearts for the firs time this season.
9. Denzel Valentine did some much-needed gunning for the Bulls, scoring 19 points and closing the game after Satoranský fouled out with 1:47 remaining. It's easy to roll eyes at his 18 shot attempts -- tied for most on the team -- but his bucket-getting really did keep the Bulls in the game for stretches. And he stayed ready after notching a DNP against the Warriors.
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The caveats: Valentine did miss two back-breaking 3s with the Bulls down by four points just inside of three minutes, and committed the game-sealing turnover with 27.2 seconds to play.
10. Thad Young got some big buckets down the stretch en route to 19 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Him, Markkanen and Vučević finished with points-rebounds double-doubles.
11. Donovan again was forced to squeeze the rotation with three notable absences. He played nine guys -- the starters, plus Valentine, Theis (20 minutes, 2 blocks), Ryan Arcidiacono (16 minutes) and Troy Brown Jr. (17 minutes). Al-Farouq Aminu registered his second straight DNP.
12. Markkanen's hot start didn't fully sustain. Though he stroked a 3-pointer to open the second quarter, and early in the fourth, he finished with 16 points and shot 5-for-13. His 10 rebounds did mark his second double-double of the season and first since Jan. 17.
13. The Bulls didn't commit their first turnover until the 8:51 mark of the second quarter and finished the game with 10, tied for their third-lowest total of the campaign. The offense was good enough.
14. But the defense -- again -- wasn't. Though the Suns shot under 40 percent, they took 18 free throws in the fourth quarter. In their now five-game losing streak, Bulls opponents are averaging 116 points per game and shooting 50.9 percent.
Editor's Note: A previous edition of this story said Bulls opponents are averaging 116.2 points per game and shooting 52.4 percent over their last five games. That has since been corrected.
15. The Bulls move to 3-18 against teams at or above .500 at time of contest. They've played in 25 games within a five-point margin with five minutes or less to play, and are now 10-15 in such contests.
Next up: In Utah for the league-best Jazz on Friday.