The beatdown took place for 48 minutes Wednesday.
The apology tour started soon after.
Center Wendell Carter Jr. was frank about his shortcomings in the Bulls’ season-opening, 20-point loss to the Hawks at the United Center, but a long line of his teammates should have followed.
‘‘I wouldn’t necessarily call it a wake-up call,’’ Carter said after the game. ‘‘It’s reality. [Bleep], we’ve gotta come and play, and we didn’t come to play on both ends. A lot of us got inside of our own heads, including myself, worrying about the stuff that happened rather than worrying about the moment.