Chicago Bulls: 3 Takeaways from the recent win streak
By Nick Porr
There’s no question; this is the best we’ve seen the Chicago Bulls play since their last playoff appearance in 2017. The Bulls are 5-1 in their last six games, only falling to the first place Philadelphia 76ers 112-105 back on the night of Feb. 19.
In that time frame, the Bulls have the fifth-best NET rating in the NBA at +5.5, putting them towards the top of the league in the past two weeks.
Suffice it to say, hopes are high in Chicago. If the season ended today, the Bulls would have a locked-in playoff berth. The Bulls have skyrocketed to 15-16, sitting sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings after their “too close for comfort” overtime win at home at the United Center over the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 24, by the final score of 133-126.
All of this with second-highest scorer Lauri Markkanen out with a shoulder sprain since Feb. 5. Even without the Finnish forward, the Bulls have played outstandingly well, in the wake of a number of other nagging injury problems too.
With the Bulls seeing sustained success for the first time in four years, it is a good time to look at exactly how they’ve gotten themselves into this position.