|
With a second straight win, the Bulls (40-42)
landed in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, which will send
them to ninth-seeded Toronto (41-41) in a play-in elimination
game Wednesday night.
The winner of that game will advance to face either the Miami
Heat or Atlanta Hawks, with the winner earning the No. 8 seeding
in the Eastern playoffs and an opening-round series against the
Milwaukee Bucks.
Having lost for the 23rd time in their last 25 games, the
Pistons (17-65) finished with the worst record in the NBA. They
will join the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets with the
best odds of winning next month's draft lottery.
After the game, Pistons coach Dwayne Casey stepped down after
five seasons with the team.
With nothing to lose or gain in the standings, the Bulls played
their regular starting lineup against the Pistons and failed to
take control of the game until a reserve-filled final period.
No Chicago starter went more than 26 minutes.
Up just 67-64, the Bulls outscored the visitors 25-9 in the
first 6:47 of the fourth quarter to open a 19-point advantage.
Carlik Jones had nine of his 11 points and Ayo Dosunmu five of
his nine in the burst.
LaVine shot 6-for-15 from the field and DeRozan 7-for-15 in the
Bulls' final prep before Wednesday's trip to Toronto.
Chicago lost two of three to the Raptors this season, with the
home team winning every game. The Bulls have dropped their last
three decisions at Toronto.
Andre Drummond was Chicago's leading rebounder with 10 boards
off the bench.
Killian Hayes was the game's top scorer with 26 points for the
Pistons, who completed the second-losingest season in franchise
history.
Hayes also had eight rebounds and seven assists.
The only time they lost more games - going 16-66 in the
1979-1980 season - the Pistons fired coach Dick Vitale
in-season.
On Sunday for the Pistons, Jaden Ivey had 16 points, Marvin
Bagley III 12 and James Wiseman 11 to complete a double-double
with 12 rebounds. Jalen Duren pulled a game-high 18 rebounds for
Detroit, while Cory Joseph accumulated a game-high nine assists.
--Field Level Media
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
