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Butler: Bulls abandon game plan 'as soon as that ball is thrown up'

Tom Szczerbowski / USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

The Chicago Bulls were feeling themselves after winning three straight games to start the season, but their honeymoon may already be over.

After they suffered their third loss in four games Wednesday night, surrendering 115 points to an Atlanta Hawks team that was on the second night of a back-to-back, Bulls shooting guard Jimmy Butler vented his frustrations about his team's lack of discipline.

"The scouting report, we pay attention to it," Butler told reporters, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. "And then we get away from it as soon as that ball is thrown up in the air."

They've often gotten away with it because, on the strength of some unexpectedly great shooting, they came into Wednesday's game with the league's third-ranked offense. But their disorganized defense was exposed by the Hawks, as it had been during a three-game losing streak last week. Each of the Bulls' losses has seen their opponent shoot 50 percent or better.

The Hawks mostly did it by committee, but Thabo Sefolosha did the most damage, scoring a team-high 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting off the bench.

"I think at times we have to keep the ball out of certain guys' hands and make some other guys beat you," Butler said.

The Hawks likely feel the same way, having allowed Butler to torch them to the tune of 39 points (on 13-of-24 shooting) and seven assists. But Butler didn't get enough help, and the Hawks' balanced attack won out.

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