CHICAGO — The losing streak continues for the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls dropped their sixth consecutive game Saturday, falling to the Phoenix Suns 121-117 in a matinee matchup at the United Center. They have won only one game since trading Zach LaVine three weeks ago in a long-awaited deadline move — and have only won 10 home games all season.

Despite leading in the first half and tying the game in the final three minutes, the Bulls clearly have lost track of their clutch gene. They turned the ball over five times in the final eight minutes and missed five shots in clutch time, allowing the Suns to eke out a win.

Despite the skid, the Bulls (22-35) are still 10th in the Eastern Conference — barely.

The Brooklyn Nets beat the Philadelphia 76ers 105-103 later Saturday, pulling within a half-game of the Bulls for the final spot in the play-in tournament.

Here are four takeaways from the loss:

1. Kevin Durant taught Matas Buzelis a few lessons.

Despite being four months into the NBA season, Saturday marked the first game between the Bulls and the Suns.

That meant a first-time matchup between Durant and Buzelis, who was eager to take on the 15-time All-Star during limited matchups at the power forward position. Durant quickly taught Buzelis a few much-needed lessons at the perimeter, blocking a 3-point attempt despite a savvy step-back move by the rookie to carve out shooting space in his preferred left corner.

Buzelis still showcased increased growth in his sixth start for the Bulls, leading the team in the first half with 13 points after going 3 for 4 from 3-point range. But he struggled to protect the ball against a lengthy Suns defense, coughing up two turnovers and failing to grab a single offensive rebound. He finished with 15 points.

Despite Buzelis’ strong start, Saturday’s game marked another unbalanced night of rotations for the rookie. He spent a stretch of more than 10 minutes on the bench between the third and fourth quarters and was pulled again with 5 minutes, 17 seconds remaining in regulation.

He reentered for the final 1:45 solely because Julian Phillips — who became the preferred option at the 4 throughout the game — fouled out. Nevertheless, Buzelis closed the game guarding Durant, an important learning curve in his debut season.

2. Off-kilter night from star starters.

In the wake of LaVine’s departure, the Bulls need consistency from Nikola Vučević and Coby White more than ever. But neither starter has been able to shake themselves out of a funk since the pair of losses to the Detroit Pistons ahead of the All-Star break — a trend that continued Saturday.

For Vučević, the issue is shooting. An airball at the start of the second half — which missed the rim wide left by several inches — highlighted the center’s devolving difficulties to finish shots from behind the arc. He finished 6 for 16 from the floor and 2 for 5 from 3-point range for 16 points and added 11 rebounds. Frustration visibly seeped into his shooting difficulties, resulting in three turnovers — one of which occurred in the final three minutes, a costly error in which Vučević simply threw the ball away at the top of the key.

Meanwhile, White continued to combat slow starts as he adjusts to increasingly difficult defensive schemes from opponents who now don’t have to worry about LaVine taking up focus elsewhere on the court. He scored only five points in the first half after missing all four of his 3-point attempts.

White turned his ankle early in the second half, a injury that briefly sent him to the locker room. The pause seemed to jolt him into the game — White scored 15 points after returning, including six in the final three minutes. This included a confounding and-one call by the referees, in which White was granted continuation on a layup while being fouled despite fully losing — then regaining — possession of the ball.

But that late rally wasn’t enough to buoy the Bulls offensively. White scored 20 points, and the duo finished with a combined 36 — not a completely down night, but certainly not enough to absorb the loss of LaVine’s 24 points per game.

3. Julian Phillips making the most of increased minutes.

After hardly cracking the rotation for the first half of the season, the second-year wing is beginning to carve out a more significant role for himself as the roster is affected by injury absences.

Phillips scored nine points on 3-for-6 shooting from behind the arc Saturday, playing 24:25 as he took on a larger role defending Durant in the second half. It was his longest stint of the season, a product of a lengthy waiting period as he mostly featured in garbage time in prior games.

Coach Billy Donovan praised Phillips’ readiness after notable performances in back-to-back games against the New York Knicks and Suns.

“I’ve been really, really fortunate and blessed with some of the guys that have been here this year, that have been out of the rotation and their professionalism to keep themselves ready,” Donovan said. “There’s not enough minutes for everybody, and I really respect and appreciate the way Julian has handled it.”

4. Bulls were short-handed again.

The Bulls only added to their injury concerns Saturday after losing Patrick Williams for at least two weeks to a right knee injury.

Ayo Dosunmu missed Saturday’s game with a left shoulder injury. Dosunmu struggles with instability in the shoulder, which was exacerbated by a collision in Thursday’s loss to the Knicks. The guard was unable to lift his arm over his shoulder following the game. The Bulls are uncertain of when he will be cleared to return.

Jalen Smith was also sidelined after suffering a concussion in Thursday’s loss. He remains in concussion protocol after struggling with light sensitivity Friday. Clearing the protocol is a multistep process, which means the Bulls could be missing their backup center for several games.

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