It's a miracle the Chicago Bulls are back in the win column—emphatically so. The Bulls demolished the reeling Philadelphia 76ers, outscoring the Sixers by 32 points. Chicago scored their most points all season, ultimately winning 142-110.
Josh Giddey continued his scorching February, dropping 25 points, grabbing 16 rebounds, and dishing out six assists. The 22-year-old guard has now recorded at least 20-plus points and 10 rebounds or assists in three straight contests. Giddey converted 8-of-11 field goals, all three triples, and all six free throw attempts.
One of the Bulls' newer additions scored the second-most points in the rout. Kevin Huerter added 23 points. The 6-foot-7 sharpshooter knocked down 7-of-11 three-pointers—a season-high. Zach Collins, who came to Chicago alongside Huerter in the Zach LaVine trade, chipped in 19 points and led the Bulls with a plus/minus of plus-41.
This Bulls victory is a worst-case scenario
Chicago's first win in 20 days was a total team effort. The Bulls were without Nikola Vucevic, Ayo Dosunmu, Jalen Smith, and Patrick Williams against the 76ers. However, as nice as a win must feel for the depleted, downtrodden Bulls, Chicago is now comfortably in 10th place in the Eastern Conference after defeating Philadelphia and seeing the Brooklyn Nets lose on the same night. The lowly Washington Wizards took down the 11th-placed Nets by eight points thanks to a strong fourth quarter.
The Bulls are now 1.5 games ahead of the Nets and 2.5 games ahead of the Sixers. Although the difference is minimal, it's noteworthy. Brooklyn is obviously hellbent on losing, even more so than the Bulls. The Nets' closing lineup against the Wizards consisted of Cameron Johnson, Nic Claxton, and three players who would otherwise be end-of-the-bench guys on just about every NBA team.
While the Sixers were constructed with an NBA Championship in mind, they have severely underperformed. Philadelphia is 20-37 this season. To make matters worse, at least for the Bulls, the 76ers have lost eight straight games. Furthermore, Joel Embiid's status is in question after ESPN's Sham Charania reported that the star center would entertain alternative opinions regarding his ailing left knee, including surgery. There's a real chance the 76ers shut down Embiid and effectively shift focus toward the NBA Draft.
Despite winning only two games in February, the Bulls have remained in 10th place since the calendar flipped. Chicago's adversaries, Brooklyn and Philadelphia, are seemingly tanking at an even more egregious rate than the Bulls. Chicago's win and the latter two team's losses seem nominal, with under a third of the season to go. Nonetheless, this scenario plays havoc on Chicago's draft positioning, considering the Nets and 76ers' future intentions.