Bulls have an easy schedule and a great situation as season winds down
With the horrible showing against Philadelphia in the rear-view mirror, Nikola Vucevic and the Bulls have a schedule that sets up very nicely for them.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
Nikola Vucevic was just stating the obvious after the embarrassing loss to the 76ers on Wednesday night.
“Not much we can take from this one,’’ the Bulls big man insisted. “Move on and get ready for the West Coast trip.
“Since the [All-Star] break, we’ve been heading in the right direction, had some good games. But every game is a new game and we have to be ready for it, especially in our situation where we are fighting for the play-in spot.’’
With just 10 regular-season games left and so much at stake, very sound advice.
The good news for the Bulls was they have the 10th-easiest schedule in the league in this final sprint. Even better news was it looks like the stars could be aligning as far as the current state of the opposing teams they’ll have to face.
At Portland – Friday: The Trail Blazers had lost six straight until they upset Utah on Wednesday, but since the All-Star Break have been one of a handful of teams in complete tanking mode. Yes, the Bulls have a history of shaky performances in the Pacific Northwest, and Damian Lillard has been a Bulls killer, often showcasing “Dame Time’’ in full effect. It’s hard to see the Bulls slipping in the first of a three-game West Coast trip, however, especially when the opposing team doesn’t have winning games atop the agenda.
At Los Angeles Lakers – Sunday: The Patrick Beverley Revenge Tour starts with getting the Lakers twice in four days, and with no LeBron James sidelined with a foot injury, a split with Los Angeles is very realistic even with Anthony Davis playing big lately.
At Los Angeles Clippers – March 27: A knee sprain will sideline Paul George for the next few weeks, so the Bulls avoid the second-best player on the roster. Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points against the Bulls in the first meeting back in January, but this is still a very gettable game for the visiting team.
Los Angeles Lakers – March 29: Still no LeBron expected, and a Lakers team that was four games under .500 on the road.
At Charlotte – March 31: If the Bulls are finally understanding adversity and not allowing the guard down, then the game against the Hornets should be a bye. They did have an embarrassing loss in Charlotte back in January, but this is a Hornets roster that is short-handed and in tank mode.
Memphis Grizzlies – April 2: Ja Morant is back, albeit in a bench role for now, and there is a certain toughness that Memphis plays with that could be an issue for the Bulls. Expect some chippy moments between Beverley and the Grizz’s Dillon Brooks.
Atlanta Hawks – April 4: Who knows which Hawks team shows up? That’s been the issue all season long, but one thing is for certain: Trae Young will have his hands full. The Bulls usually play Young very well, frustrating him into bad shots.
At Milwaukee – April 5: On paper, Milwaukee has made the Bulls their little brothers. The issue is the Bucks could very well be in resting-for-the-playoffs mode, especially if they can continue to increase their lead atop the Eastern Conference.
At Dallas – April 7: Kyrie Irving should deserve some credit. It isn’t often that the same NBA player can single-handedly kill four different organizations within an eight-year period. The Mavs have been very beatable and inconsistent since adding Irving to the mix.
Detroit – April 9: Zach LaVine was averaging 38 points per game against the Pistons this season. If this is a must-win game, this will be as big a lock as the Bulls have left on the schedule. Detroit checked out on the season months ago.