Just when Things seemed to be going well for the Chicago Bulls, it didn’t take long for it to collapse. After stringing together three straight road wins against tough Western competition, the Bulls have now lost their last two games against the Clippers and Mavericks and have fallen to three games under .500 with a 31-34 record.
All hope is not lost yet, as the Bulls still hold a 1.5 game lead over the 10th-seeded Hawks and are still within striking distance of catching the 6th, 7th and 8th. On top of all that, they have the second-easiest remaining strength in the NBA, meaning there are still plenty of opportunities to make up ground on the opposition.
The Bulls have arguably their best chance to get back on track tonight against division rival Indiana. The Pacers started the year strong with a 23-16 record, but have since gone 14-14 over their last 28 games. Still developing their team chemistry after trading for the All-NBA forward Pascal SiakamNow is a great opportunity for Chicago to strike and begin their climb in the standings.
This game is especially important because the Pacers are currently the 6th seed in the East – the last guaranteed playoff spot without having to participate in the play-in tournament. If Chicago has any hope of avoiding the play-ins and facing early elimination like they did against the Heat last year, the Bulls need to get a win tonight.
Of course the Bulls won’t technically be mathematically eliminated from the playoff race if they lose tonight. But with only 16 games remaining on the schedule after tonight, I can’t imagine a world in which this team manages to close in on the Pacers’ 6.5-game lead with such limited time on the clock. Tonight should be considered a “must-win” scenario for the Bulls.
Directed by Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana has improved significantly from its 35 wins last year and established itself as one of the NBA’s fast-growing teams. Pairing Haliburton with the dynamic duo of Siakam and Myles Turner, the Pacers are certainly not a team to take lightly.
The Pacers will be forced to survive the loss of Bennedict Mathurin, however, as he was forced to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum injury. Of course, the Bulls are no stranger to devastating injuries, as they lost three rookie-caliber players in Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams and Lonzo Ball.
Tonight’s action starts relatively early at 6:30 p.m. CDT, so there’s no excuse for the Bulls to miss this big game. You can tune in through NBC Sports Chicago or stream the game online. The outcome of tonight’s game could well determine whether the Bulls fail to live up to their playoff hopes for the second straight season.
