CHICAGO (670 The Score) – Bulls-Heat has officially reached trilogy status in the play-in tournament.
Chicago cruised to a 119-89 win against the lowly Washington Wizards on Friday evening at the United Center to clinch the ninth seed in the East and a matchup against 10th-seeded Miami in a play-in opener next Wednesday.
Entering the day, the Bulls still had a small chance of earning the eighth seed in the East by season’s end, but the Hawks clinched that spot with a 124-110 win against the 76ers.
Chicago lost at Miami in each of the last two years in the second play-in game, in which the winner advances to the playoffs as the eighth seed. This time around, the Bulls will play host to the Heat at the United Center. The loser will be eliminated, while the winner will then get a shot to reach the playoffs as the No. 8 seed by playing the loser of the Magic-Hawks matchup.
“Enormous amount of respect, just the way they compete, the way they play,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said of facing the Heat. “Got a lot of respect for (Erik Spoelstra). I think like probably most teams throughout the course of an NBA season, there’s always things you kind of go through as a team. They went through their fair share this year. We’ve gone through ours with injuries and different things, but it’s one of those games, for both teams, it’s one-and-done. And it’s a great opportunity. The guys earned the right to be able to play in the game, and that’s a great thing. I’m excited about it.”
The Bulls swept the season series from the Heat, winning twice at home and once in Miami. That included a 119-111 win at the United Center this past Wednesday.
“It’s going to be a tough game,” said Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, who had 15 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists Friday. “Always when you play Miami, they’re a very well-coached team, they’re very well-prepared … We’re going to have to be at our best. But that’s the case with whoever we’re going to play in the play-in. It’s win or go home. The margin for error is going to be minimal.”
The Bulls improved to 38-43 with their win Friday, when they played without guard Josh Giddey due to a wrist injury. Second-year forward Julian Phillips started in his place and scored a career-high 23 points, while rookie forward Matas Buzelis added 20 points. If the Bulls beat the 76ers in Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon, they’ll finish with an identical record to last season.
The Bulls’ journey to the play-in tournament this season came amid murkier circumstances than the past two years as it related to the franchise’s direction. After leaning into the veteran duo of forward DeMar DeRozan and guard Zach LaVine for the past three seasons, the Bulls watched as DeRozan left via a sign-and-trade last July and then continued to shop LaVine on the trade market. They eventually dealt LaVine to the Kings in early February just days before the trade deadline.
Speaking after the trade deadline, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas was vague when asked what the goal was in the final months of the season, praising the differing possibilities of either getting a “good pick” in the NBA Draft or having the “accomplishment” of reaching the play-in tournament with a group of primarily youngsters. Led by Giddey and guard Coby White, the Bulls have surged late in the regular season by winning 14 of their past 19 games.
The Bulls will now need to win two games to reach the playoffs, in which case they’d meet the top-seeded Cavaliers in the first round and likely land the No. 15 overall pick in the NBA Draft. If the Bulls lose in the play-in tournament, they’ll go home and probably will hold the No. 12 or No. 13 pick.
Late Friday, Donovan shared his appreciation for his players, noting that they committed to a stylistic change in which the Bulls became one of the fastest-paced teams in the NBA and then dealt with a flurry of trade rumors at the deadline.
“We went through a lot,” Donovan said. “The one thing I appreciated about the group was I think every night, they lined up and we made winning a priority. We were trying to win. We weren’t always great, but I thought we stuck together, I thought we competed, I thought we played really hard.”
Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.