The Great Britain national basketball team, competing in the Summer Olympics for the first time since 1948, will need a more efficient effort out of Luol Deng if they stand any chance of qualifying for the medal round.
The Russian national team, led by Minnesota Timberwolves' forward Andrei Kirilenko, defeated Deng and the host British, 95-75, Sunday afternoon at the Olympics.
Deng led Great Britain with 26 points, but was unusually inefficient, shooting 8-of-27 from the field, including 2-of-11 from beyond the arc. Deng, one of only two NBA players on the national team (Joel Freeland), was forced to shoot early and often to try and keep pace with the Russians. He also played a team-high 39 minutes in the loss.
Last year Deng's shooting percentage dropped nearly five percentage points, from 46.0 to 41.2 percent. It's unknown whether Deng will require wrist surgery or opt to have it after the Olympics, which would cause him to miss 3-4 months.
Kiriklenko, who last year played for CSKA Moscow before signing a two-year, 20 million contract with Minnesota, led the way with 35 points on 14-of-17 shooting in the win. Teammate Alexey Shved, who also signed this summer with the Timberwolves, added 16 points and 13 assists.
In other Bulls-related news, Victor Khryapa, who was traded to the Bulls along with Tyrus Thomas in exchange for LaMarcus Aldridge, started and had three points and five rebounds in 24 minutes for the Russians.
For all your 2012 Olympics coverage, head over to NBCOlympics.com.