{"numbering":"no_numbering","slides":[{"title":"10 games remain","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/short_form_video/hero/donovan_b_usatsi_15779119.jpg","credit":"","published":1619706002,"caption":"

With Wednesday's 113-94 loss to the New York Knicks, the Bulls dropped to 10 games below .500 with 10 games to play in the regular season. Worse, with the red-hot Washington Wizards dispatching the Los Angeles Lakers, they fell two games back of the last spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.

Simply put, this is not what Bulls management, coaches or players envisioned after an active trade deadline day that netted Nikola Vučević as the headliner. Five players were swapped into Bulls threads on March 25 with the dual intention of improving the team's playoff positioning for this season and establishing a winning culture for the long-term.

Now, with a 7-12 record since the trades and Zach LaVine due out at least "another week," according to Billy Donovan, whiffing on the play-in looms as increasingly possible. Regardless of the confluence of reasons for that development, it's a massive disappointment as it pertains to those original goals.

"It definitely would be a big smack in the face," Thad Young said recently, "if we made all these changes and adjustments to our team, and we can’t follow through or push through into the playoffs.’’

And so, the Bulls have the stretch run to straighten matters out. Here are five things to know about their upcoming slate, and what they're up against.

"},{"title":"Where the Bulls stand","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/Bradley%20Beal%20Patrick%20Williams%20USAT.jpg","credit":"USA Today","published":1619706592,"caption":"

The Bulls (26-36) currently sit in a tie by record with the Toronto Raptors for 11th in the East. Both the Bulls and Raptors trail the Wizards (28-34) by two games for 10th place.

For the majority of the season post-All-Star break, the Bulls controlled their own destiny in the play-in race, sitting in 10th as the Raptors and Wizards sputtered behind them. But a 9-1 stretch in its last 10 games has vaulted Washington into a power position, as the Bulls try to hold steady without Zach LaVine.

"No one's going to feel sorry for anybody," Billy Donovan said before the Knicks loss.

The bright side is that the Bulls own individual tiebreakers over both teams, having gone 2-1 against the Wizards in their already-completed three matchups, and 2-0 against the Raptors in their first two (they meet again on May 13). So in the event of a tie by record with either squad, the Bulls would have the edge.

The Pacers, who the Bulls also own the tiebreaker over, are technically within reach, leading the Bulls by 3.5 games for the ninth seed. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves here.

"},{"title":"What the Bulls are up against","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/App-210109-giannis-antetokounmpo.jpg","credit":"USA Today","published":1619707106,"caption":"

According to Basketball Reference's Playoff Probabilities Report, the Bulls have the second-most difficult remaining schedule in the Eastern Conference, -- fourth-most difficult in the NBA -- and a four percent chance of ultimately making the playoffs.

Here is that schedule, with opponent records attached:

April 30: vs. Bucks (38-23)
May 1: at Hawks (34-29)
May 3: vs. Sixers (41-21)
May 6: at Hornets (30-32)
May 7: vs. Celtics (33-30)
May 9: at Pistons (19-43)
May 11: vs. Nets (42-20)
May 13: vs. Raptors (26-36)
May 15: at Nets (42-20)
May 16: vs. Bucks (38-23)

Eight of those ten opponents are currently in the top eight of the East (with five combined matchups against the conference's current top three seeds), and only the Pistons are out of contention entirely. While potentially an opportunity to make up ground, their opponents down the stretch boast a combined winning percentage of 0.553, and as of this writing, the Bulls are 7-27 against teams with records currently at or above .500.

Another bright spot, though, if you're interested: Should any of these teams have their playoff positioning close to locked in by time of contest (thinking mainly the Nets and Bucks down the stretch), there always remains the possibility of rest games making for an easier opponent than their record indicates.

"},{"title":"And their competitors?","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/2021-04/BealWestbrookapp42821_0.jpg","credit":"USA Today","published":1619707804,"caption":"

The only team with a more difficult remaining schedule than the Bulls, according to Basketball Reference? The Raptors. Their 10-game home stretch is brutal, with a four-game road swing featuring the Nuggets, Jazz, Lakers and Clippers tipping off Thursday. From there, they get the Wizards, Grizzlies and Clippers at home, then the Bulls and Mavericks on the road, then close with the Pacers at home. All but the Wizards, Bulls and Pacers in that group currently own records above .500.

So, with the tiebreaker also a factor, finishing in front of Toronto is reasonable to project. The problem is Washington.

Not only are the Wizards scalding with nine wins in their last 10 games, they also have a middling remaining schedule. Sure, road bouts against the Mavericks, Bucks and Hawks (twice) are daunting. But they also see the Cavaliers (twice) and Hornets, as well as below .500 foes in the Pacers (twice) and Raptors. And, not for nothing, the Wizards' recent torrid stretch has featured wins over the Jazz, Warriors and Lakers (sans LeBron James). With Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal at the top of their games, Dāvis Bertāns back to his sharp-shooting self and Daniel Gafford ripping rims clean off the backboard, they're as formidable as anyone right now. And they begin the home stretch with a two-game advantage, created by their stellar play.

Basketball Reference projects the Wizards (13.7 percent chance of making the playoffs) to finish 10th in the East, the Raptors (six percent chance) to finish 11th and the Bulls 12th.

"},{"title":"When will Zach LaVine return?","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/2021-04/Zach-Lavine-Upset-USTA20210424.jpg","credit":"USA Today","published":1619708566,"caption":"

Though the Bulls have done well to tread water with a 4-4 record in eight games since Zach LaVine entered COVID-19 health and safety protocol -- including impressive wins over the Heat and Celtics -- it's no secret getting their leading scorer back would be a boost.

Head coach Billy Donovan updated reporters on LaVine's status ahead of Wednesday's loss to the Knicks:

"We're hopeful that this is probably gonna take another week is our best guess," Donovan said. "There will be things that he'll have to do going into this week that are set by the league in terms of the policies and protocols. I would say that we probably have a much, much better idea of when his return would be probably after this week is completed."

Donovan ruled LaVine out Friday against the Bucks, and later added the Bulls would have a "clearer picture" on him timeline by Monday and Tuesday, effectively ruling him out for the Hawks and Sixers games too. So, at minimum, it looks like the earliest LaVine may return is with seven games to go.

In the meantime, continue to watch Vučević, who, averaging 22.6 points, 11.8 rebounds and four assists on 52.1/44.4/81.3 shooting splits in his last eight games, has carried the Bulls in LaVine's absence.

"},{"title":"The stakes","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/article/hero/210428-nikola-vucevic.jpg","credit":"USA Today","published":1619708841,"caption":"

Again, this is not where the Bulls hoped or want to be. They pushed forward chips in the form of two lightly-protected future first-round picks and Wendell Carter Jr. to compete now, and the returns haven't manifested.

If the season ended today, the Bulls would have the eighth-worst record in the NBA, and thus, the eighth-best odds of winning June's draft lottery. But unless they land in the top four, they'll owe that pick to the Orlando Magic as part of the Vučević deal. With the eighth-best lottery odds, the Bulls would have a 23.5 percent chance of landing in the top four, and 5.3 percent chance of hitting No. 1 overall... Which ultimately translates to a 76.5 percent chance of forfeiting the selection.

And regardless, the Bulls will scratch and claw for every win they can get down the stretch. For younger players, being challenged in must-win games means experience, for elder ones it's pride.

"We were in a better situation and we lost some games. We put ourselves in a more difficult position than we were. But there’s no point in us looking back at it and thinking about what could’ve been or what we could’ve done differently. I think we just have to move on and try to improve every game and try to win as many games as we can," Vučević said after the Knicks loss. "We’re going to fight until the end. There’s still 10 games left. A lot of things can happen."

Donovan sees the value in following the play-in push as far as it can go.

"I think it's good, it's healthy for guys to be in those situations where you're having to battle and fight and compete for something," Donovan said recently. "Miami is doing the same thing right now with their seeding, with where they're at. We're doing it. Washington's doing it. So you've got a lot of teams right now that are vying coming down the stretch here. And I think it's healthy and good pressure to have to play under that and play together and to play well in those situations."

"}]}

5 things to know about Bulls' last 10 regular season games