Vucevic to Bulls after 3rd straight loss: 'Stop doing the dumb stuff'

Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic has had enough of his team's poor play.

Following Wednesday's 110-94 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Bulls guard Coby White was asked what head coach Billy Donovan told his team in the locker room. But White made it clear someone else was doing the talking.

"Vuc said it all postgame," White said, according to Daily Herald's Mike McGraw. "Stop doing the dumb stuff that we've been doing. Stop doing the stuff that we can control. Stop not boxing out, not rebounding, stop with the switch confusion, stop getting back cut - stuff we've been dealing with all year. Vuc is 100% correct. He spoke up and he dug in us."

This defeat marked Chicago's third straight loss: The team also fell to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday and the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. The Hawks were missing their top three scorers Wednesday - Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, and De'Andre Hunter were all sidelined with injuries - but still managed to defeat the Bulls.

"It was a buildup of things we haven't been doing well, things we can control that coaches keep pointing out to us and we just don't do them," Vucevic said. "We focus on the wrong things. We have to understand it's the details that make a difference at this level.

"I felt it was a good moment to say it because we needed to understand why we lost."

The defeat dropped Chicago to 18-23 on the season, and it's now the third time this campaign the Bulls have fallen five games below .500. They shot a season-worst 22.2% from three in Wednesday's contest and didn't ever take a lead.

White knows the team is struggling but said the players need to "stay together."

"This right here can define the season," the 24-year-old guard said. "The games are going to keep coming. It's on us to figure it out."

The Bulls now sit 10th in the Eastern Conference and will look to end their losing skid Friday against the Charlotte Hornets.