The Bulls easily dispatched the Los Angeles Lakers on March 20th in LA. Coby White scored 36 points for Chicago on 12-of-17 shooting and 6-of-9 from three. Josh Giddey flirted with a quadruple-double, and Matas Buzelis had the best game of his rookie season with 31 points.
It was a glimpse of what the Bulls could become if those three continue to develop as a group.
Chicago's rise is going mostly overlooked at the national level, but the Bulls have been one of the best teams in the NBA since the All-Star break. They've won eight of their last 10 games; that includes a four-game winning streak from March 6 to March 13.
The team is looking to string together four more W's as it plays LA for the second time in five days, this time at home in The Windy City. Beating a LeBron James-Luka Doncic-led team twice in such a short time frame presents unique challenges, but finding a way to grab another win could prove critical to the franchise's postseason aspirations.
Things get easier for the Bulls after tonight's game against the Lakers
Chicago is jockeying for position with the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks for seeding in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. Before the March 27th slate of games, the Bulls are one game ahead of Miami for ninth, 2.5 behind the Magic for eighth and three back of Atlanta for seventh.
Landing the No. 7 or 8 seed would mean a win-and-you're-in scenario for Chicago. Remaining in the ninth spot would force it to play two games to reach the playoffs, but the Bulls would host their first, likely against Miami.
The Bulls have the ninth-easiest schedule the rest of the way this season, per Tankathon. The Heat and Hawks have it easier, but Miami has taken a massive nose dive over the last few weeks, and Chicago will need some serious help to catch Atlanta anyway.
Billy Donovan's team has three games left against teams with above .500 records; that includes tonight's game against LA. After that, only matchups with Oklahoma City and Cleveland remain. Chicago plays the rest of its games against four of the bottom five teams in the East and two teams on the outside of the Western Conference Play-In Tournament picture.
If the Bulls can repeat their performance against the Lakers and pull out another victory tonight, the path to the No. 7 or 8 seed is within reach for a group that's gaining more confidence every night.