The Chicago Bulls (40-41) cruised past the Washington Wizards (15-66) 119-89 on Friday, April 11, behind a career night from rookie Julian Phillips and a balanced effort that solidified their place in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
Phillips poured in a career-high 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Nikola Vucevic nearly recorded a triple-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. Matas Buzelis added 20 points, and Coby White contributed 16 points and nine rebounds for Chicago, which has now won five of its last six.
The Bulls clinched the No. 9 seed in the East and will host the No. 10-seeded Miami Heat in a loser-out play-in game on Wednesday.
Justin Champagnie led Washington with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while rookie Bub Carrington recorded a double-double with 18 points and a season-high 11 assists. Tristan Vukcevic added 17 points for the Wizards, who suffered their eighth loss by 30 or more this season.
Bulls: Chicago played without Josh Giddey (right hand), but still rolled. Giddey recently became one of just a few Bulls, including Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, to record 1,000 points, 500 assists, and 500 rebounds in a season.
Wizards: Washington struggled on both ends and was outscored 24-9 from the free-throw line. They never recovered after falling behind 58-43 at halftime.
Kevin Huerter gave the Bulls the lead for good with a 3-pointer early in the second quarter, and Chicago controlled the game from there.
The Bulls visit Philadelphia to close the regular season on Sunday, while the Wizards finish up in Miami against the Heat.
