The Chicago Bulls clinched a spot inside the NBA postseason Tuesday night — and they also didn’t even should do the heavy lifting.
However the celebration was short-lived as a result of the Bulls misplaced 123-105 to the Atlanta Hawks an hour later, all nevertheless cornering themselves into the least favorable seed.
The Orlando Magic equipped the Bulls with a gift by shedding to the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-113, clinching a spot inside the play-in occasion for the Bulls, who’re assured to finish no worse than tenth inside the Jap Convention — however as well as unlikely to maneuver any elevated after failing to protected the tiebreaker with the Hawks.
With three video video games to play, the Bulls (38-41) path the Hawks and Toronto Raptors by two video video games, and the Raptors private the tiebreaker in the direction of the Bulls based mostly totally on head-to-head report. The Bulls and Hawks minimize up 4 video video games, so a tiebreaker would come all the best way right down to conference report, whereby the Bulls presently preserve a half-game edge.
Tuesday’s recreation carried the easiest stakes of the final word stretch of the season for the Bulls. Whereas the Magic’s loss meant they didn’t must win to punch their ticket to the play-in occasion, a win over the Hawks would have given them the head-to-head tiebreaker and pushed them as a lot as ninth inside the standings.
But the Bulls obtained right here out flat-footed, allowing the Hawks to throw a 36-point punch inside the first quarter and arrange a 20-point lead midway by the use of the second quarter.
The Bulls scraped once more inside eight components at different stretches of the fourth quarter nevertheless couldn’t overcome the deficit as they went 7-for-31 behind the 3-point arc whereas struggling to realize at their typical amount off turnovers.
“This recreation was a must-win recreation for us and clearly we didn’t do it ok,” guard Zach LaVine acknowledged. “They needed it greater than us. There ain’t time to dwell on the previous. Clearly you don’t need to come out flat like this in a very powerful recreation of the yr.”
In the event that they proceed to be in tenth place, the Bulls would play a single-elimination avenue recreation in the direction of the ninth seed, with the winner then going via the loser of the 7-8 recreation for a spot inside the first spherical of the NBA playoffs.
They technically would possibly climb elevated inside the standings, nevertheless that can require profitable out — along with Wednesday’s matchup with the first-place Milwaukee Bucks — plus a set of losses by the Hawks and Raptors.
The Bulls have been handed one different profit when Hawks degree guard Trae Younger was too sick with a non-COVID illness to journey to Chicago for Tuesday’s recreation.
Younger, who was affected by a stomach bug, is averaging 26.2 components and 9.9 assists this season and scored 34 components in the direction of the Bulls in December in Atlanta, scorching them behind the arc with seven 3-pointers. Within the teams’ closing meeting in January on the United Middle, Younger scored 21 with 13 assists.
However the Hawks didn’t need Younger to hold their place inside the East standings. Bogdan Bogdanovic dominated behind the arc, hitting 5 3-pointers to information the Hawks with 26 components.
The loss disrupted a optimistic swing of momentum for the Bulls, who entered the game hopeful they could strengthen their postseason footing. Incomes the ninth seed — or the seventh seed by the use of a mixture of profitable out and losses by higher-seeded teams — would have equipped them with home-court advantage of their first play-in recreation. And if that that they had been able to leap as extreme as a result of the seventh or eighth seed, they could have gained a spot inside the first spherical of the playoffs with a single win.
It’s easy to tumble down the rabbit hole of “what if” eventualities at this degree inside the season. However coach Billy Donovan remained company that the simplest manner for the Bulls to technique this final week is to cope with what they’ll administration — profitable their closing three video video games.
“I’m following, however I’m not on my telephone checking each quarter,” Donovan acknowledged. “I believe for us, actually it’s about what we do and controlling what we are able to management. I believe in plenty of methods, getting wrapped up in what everyone else is doing, there’s no management in any of that. It’s actually (about) what do we’ve to do.”
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