Bulls at Magic
The Chicago Bulls have fallen out of playoff position after three straight losses and look to begin their turnaround when they visit the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. The Bulls, who have been one of the best defensive teams in the league in past seasons, have allowed 100 or more points in 14 consecutive games after a 129-111 loss at Miami on Tuesday.
The Bulls have not been able to compensate for the loss of injured All-Star Jimmy Butler (knee) and Nikola Mirotic (appendix) while Derrick Rose (hamstring) returned from a three-game absence to score 17 on Tuesday. “We’ve been talking about (playing better) for awhile,” Rose told reporters. “I’m just wondering when we’re going to say, ‘Enough.’” The Magic have not been able to make up much ground by going 5-5 over the last 10 games after a 121-108 loss at Dallas on Tuesday. Orlando is 4 ½ games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as it faces two straight at home before a four-game Western road trip.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, FSN Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE BULLS (30-29): Taj Gibson added his name to the injured list for Chicago on Tuesday with a tight hamstring and the power forward will be re-evaluated before the matchup against the Magic. The return of Rose was a big boost for the Bulls, but center Pau Gasol has been a major factor while averaging 15.8 points, 14.3 rebounds and eight assists over the past four contests. Doug McDermott continues to step up his production, providing 18.2 points per contest over his past six outings.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (26-33): Orlando had put itself in playoff position with solid defense, but has struggled recently and allowed an average of 114.1 points over the last seven games. Nikola Vucevic has been the most consistent force for the Magic, averaging 21.4 points in February and scoring 18 in the loss at Dallas. Victor Oladipo made just 3-of-10 from the field Tuesday while newly acquired forward Ersan Ilyasova had 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his best performance since being obtained at the trade deadline.
BUZZER-BEATERS
1. Chicago’s rookie F Bobby Portis continues to make progress, averaging 10.5 points and 8.8 rebounds the last eight contests.
2. Orlando G Evan Fournier (wrist), who is third on the team at 14.2 points per game, missed the last two games and is questionable for Wednesday.
3. The Bulls have won five of the last seven meetings, including a 92-87 victory at home on Nov. 1.