Takeaways from the Bulls' bad start to second half of the season

Photo Courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski/USA Today

The Chicago Bulls simply shouldn't have started their second half of the season with a frustrating 127-105 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

While I wasn't expecting the Bulls to crush the 76ers, who are leading the Eastern Conference right now, I expected much more considering their two star players were out of the game.

The odds were in the Bulls' favor. For the first time in a long time, the team was healthy, with Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter Jr. both returning from injuries. On top of that, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were out of the game. That still wasn't enough to beat the top-seeded 76ers.

Here are my key takeaways from the game:

Too many turnovers

The chemistry and flow on the court was lacking. The Bulls committed 19 turnovers -- seven of them in the first quarter -- while the 76ers committed 11.

Coach Billy Donovan spoke honestly about his team's performance:

"I was really, really disappointed just from the standpoint that, I think I've said this before, we've got a long way to go. I didn't think that we played at all tonight to our identity or how we want to play or what we need to do in order to be a good basketball team. We were really careless with the ball. I didn't think we cut or moved very well. I think you can make a lot of excuses if you want to, All-Star break, time off, everything else. It didn't seem to bother Philly too much."

Terrible defense

The Bulls allowed a season-high 78 points in the paint. There was basically no resistance down low. There were too many uncontested layups. The 76ers exposed the Bulls bigs' weaknesses all night -- not with their most efficient paint-scorers, but with their second and third centers on the depth chart. How embarrassing.

I'll keep speaking it into existence: Lonzo Ball would be a much better option for the Bulls. He would provide strong defense, especially at the perimeter. They lack a true playmaking point guard in Coby White, whose game is primarily offensive.

The Bulls allowed the 76ers' Dwight Howard and Tony Bradley to shoot a combined 78.9% from the field (15-of-19).

At least when Zach LaVine realized his shots weren't falling, he turned to playmaking and finished the night with seven assists.

Take advantage of Lauri Markkanen being healthy again

We don't know how long this is going to last, considering Markkanen's injury track-record, but he's back and healthy for now as he approaches free agency.

Markkanen returned to the court last night from a shoulder sprain. I expected him to be a little rusty, but he came in strong offensively for someone who hasn't played a game since the beginning of February.

He scored 23 points in 27 minutes of play. He shot 8-of-11 from the field, including 7-of-7 from three.

Defensively, he didn't really show up the way his team desperately needed. The Bulls had their best players healthy and in the game, while the 76ers didn't -- yet they still beat them.

This should be a huge concern for the Bulls going forward because now there are no injuries to put the blame on when experiencing these bad losses. This may awaken a sentiment within the front office to want to make some changes as the trade deadline approaches. If not, Donovan has a lot of talking to do with the team about turnovers and defense.