Bulls at Wizards
The Washington Wizards might get a look at their first-round opponent in the Eastern Conference playoffs when they host the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. The streaking Bulls, who have won four straight, are tied for third in the East with Toronto. If they finish ahead of the Raptors, they'll likely get a first-round date with the Wizards, who sit sixth but have designs on making up a 1 1/2-game gap on fifth-place Brooklyn.
After clinching its first playoff berth since 2008 on Wednesday, Washington kept up its hot play with a 90-89 road win over New York on Friday. The Bulls coasted to a 102-90 win over visiting Milwaukee on Friday to keep pace with Toronto in what has become a heated race for the No. 3 seed. The Wizards might not mind seeing Chicago claim that third spot — they've won the first two meetings this season and have claimed three straight home games in the series.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington)
ABOUT THE BULLS (44-32): Chicago was sluggish at the offensive end against the Bucks, shooting just 36.9 percent but taking advantage of 16 offensive rebounds and going 33-of-42 from the foul line. Star center Joakim Noah's line was emblematic of the team's performance, as he went 2-for-14 from the field but scored seven of his 11 points from the line en route to his 41st double-double of the season. The shooting struggles were a bit of a surprise considering the Bulls had shot 47.5 percent or better in their previous three games and were coming off a 51.3 percent effort in Wednesday's win at Atlanta.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (40-36): Even with big man Nene (knee) sidelined, Washington has put together a nice inside-outside combination led by young guards John Wall and Bradley Beal — Friday's hero — and center Marcin Gortat. Gortat (33) and Wall (27) are the first pair of Wizards teammates to record at least 25 double-doubles apiece since Rod Strickland and Chris Webber in 1997-98. The Wizards are one of the league's best 3-point shooting teams but they struggled from outside against the Knicks, going just 5-of-19.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Chicago is 12 games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 2011-12 season.
2. Washington is 16-0 at home when shooting for a higher percentage from the field than the opposition.
3. The Bulls are 38-4 when leading after three quarters, including a 16-1 mark on the road.