Wed, 11/11 Bulls @ Raptors

In fact, the Bulls probably would prefer if the final six minutes of the 99-89 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night at the Air Canada Centre were never viewed again.

To say it was an ugly finish is an insult to ugly.

Leading 88-85 with six minutes remaining, the Bulls suffered an offensive meltdown of epic proportions. They managed just one point the rest of the way -- a meaningless free throw with 10 seconds left -- and went scoreless on a mind-boggling 12 straight possessions down the stretch.

They were 3-for-21 (14.3 percent) from the field with five turnovers in the fourth quarter.

[...]

Just how dramatic was the Bulls' offensive collapse? Consider this: They scored a season-high 60 points in the first half and then tied their season-low for points in a half with 29 in the second half.

That's a high-low that no coach wants to see.

[...]

Indeed, the Bulls (4-4) wasted another strong defensive outing. They held the high-scoring Raptors (4-4) to 36-for-88 (40.9 percent) shooting and forced 15 turnovers.

They also wasted another solid game from Luol Deng (18 points, eight rebounds), a season-high 18 points from rookie Taj Gibson and another double-double from center Joakim Noah (12 points, 11 rebounds), who has five through eight games.

''As a team, we came out with a lot of energy,'' guard John Salmons said. ''In the third quarter, for some reason, we stopped making shots.''

Salmons was a different story altogether. He never started making shots and went a dreadful 1-for-11 from the field in scoring five points in 33 minutes. For the season, he is shooting a woeful 30.6 percent.

When asked if was satisfied with his shot selection, Salmons said, ''I don't know. I took the shots I took. I took them because I felt like I could make them.''

Despite his rough start, Salmons said he's not pressing and the slump is not affecting him personally.

''I'm human, and it's not a good time,'' he said. ''It's tough to deal with, shooting the way I'm shooting. But you have to stay with it, keep working and keep the faith.''