The air smelled wonderful in the Windy City in the first half of the NBA season. The souped-up Chicago Bulls surprised many with their strong play and even sat atop the Eastern Conference for a good stretch.

All of those, however, have been waylaid in recent weeks, as the Bulls' campaign has spiraled into a pungent mess. After losing to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, the Bulls have now lost five straight games, dropping to the no. 4 spot in the team standings with a 39-26 record. But perhaps, what's even more alarming is the fact that they have struggled against the NBA's top squads.

According to StatMuse, the Bulls are still winless in 14 games against the top three seeds in both conferences this season. Their current five-game losing skid? All against teams expected to advance to the NBA Playoffs.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan recently sounded off on their struggles, seeking more accountability from his players. For all of the brilliance of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine this season, they have squandered some winnable games. And with just a handful of games left in the regular season, the Bulls could even lose homecourt advantage, with the surging Boston Celtics not too far behind.

The injuries to Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso have definitely cooled off the Bulls' hot start. The squad still has enough time to steady the ship, but time is of the essence.

The Bulls can end their dry spell against the lowly Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.