For the first eight minutes of Wednesday’s 121-110 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, it seemed as if Nikola Vučević was the only player in a Chicago Bulls jersey who could land a shot at the United Center.

Vučević found nearly every shot in his bag, dancing through post-ups and sinking a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. But the rest of the team couldn’t find a single shot that would fall — not a floater, not a free throw, not a 3-pointer. Vučević went 6-for-9 in the quarter. His teammates combined to go 2-for-15. And the tone for the game was set — or rather, wasn’t established at all — by the end of the opening frame.

Coby White finally snapped the streak, landing a layup with 3:12 left in the first. Derrick Jones Jr. was the only other Bulls player to score in the quarter, splashing a 3-pointer in the final minutes as the Bulls were outscored 31-20.

And although they would erase that deficit in the second quarter, the Bulls never overcame their slow start. Vučević finished with 29 points, more than one-quarter of the team’s points.

“Put the ball in the hole.”

— Beverley after the Bulls shot 27.3% (9-for-33) from 3-point range. They shot only 33% overall in the first quarter.

Alex Caruso (left foot) and Javonte Green (right knee) were available after being in and out of the lineup the last few weeks. But neither player was able to log their typical minutes. Caruso returned to the starting lineup but scored only five points in 19 minutes after Donovan felt he “didn’t look right” attempting to play through discomfort in the first half. Green entered in the fourth quarter to provide a burst of defensive energy but exited after 2½ minutes.

The Bulls (36-40) remained in the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference, two games in front of the Washington Wizards. But with only six games remaining, time is running out for them to catch the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors, both of whom are two games ahead at 38-38.

The Bulls will travel to Charlotte, N.C., on Friday to play the Hornets.

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