The Chicago Bulls Sweep the Season Series in Win Over Orlando Magic

The Chicago Bulls broke their seven-game losing streak in a 90-82 win over the Orlando Magic, sweeping the season series.

The Chicago Bulls hit the floor strong and dominated for much of the first quarter in Friday night’s win against the Orlando Magic.

Orlando struggled to run with Chicago in transition and the Bulls were able to get good looks all over the court on offense.

Lauri Markkanen was a big part of the early run, scoring eight points in the first four minutes of play. He capped off his hot start with this and-one dunk courtesy of Nikola Vucevic’s foul.

Not to be outdone in the first quarter, Cameron Payne and Cristiano Felicio both poured in six points apiece, with Payne also dishing out five assists and Felicio pulling down eight boards.

But the lead was not to last as Chicago’s bench took the floor. With just 4:08 left in the first and the Bulls up 25-11, the Magic went on a run.

The Bulls’ bench came out flat and Orlando quickly brought the score within five. Chicago, however, managed to fend off most of the Magic’s runs in the second to retain the lead and Felicio even came close to splashing home a buzzer beater from downtown to end the half.

Third quarter struggles continue

The third quarter brought with it the usual woes for Chicago. The Bulls, ranked third-to-last in third quarter scoring, dropped a measly nine points to the Magic’s 25 in the quarter.

Like clockwork, the ball stopped moving and Chicago kept settling for contested looks.

The Bulls bounced back a bit in the fourth, and managed to finally bury the Magic with a few minutes left in the game.

Ryan Arcidiacono provided the spark Chicago needed late in the game. The Villanova alumnus finished the game with a timely eight points and two steals in just 15 minutes of play, including a dagger three to wrap the game up.

Arcidiacono played with a high motor in Friday’s game and made use of every single minute he was on the floor. He’s spent most of the season in the G-League with the Windy City Bulls, but stood out against the Magic with hustle plays, including diving face first into the stands for a steal attempt.

Felicio also finished with an impressive eight points and a career-high 16 rebounds in 27 minutes of play. The rest of the Bulls’ starters each played 24 minutes or less, as the front office tries to figure out the future of its end-of-the-bench players.

Tank Update

The Bulls now have more wins than seven other teams in the league and sit alone in the eighth spot of lottery projections, giving them just a 9.9% chance of getting a top-5 draft pick, per Tankathon.

At worst, the Bulls will be projected to get the ninth pick in the draft, where the New York Knicks currently sit with a 27-49 record.

The Brooklyn Nets (24-51), Sacramento Kings (24-52), and Dallas Mavericks (23-52) are all conceivably within reach for Chicago. But with games against the Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, and a back-to-back with the Nets, it will be tough for the Bulls to out-lose any of those teams.