Mar 18, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Carter-Williams (7) talks with Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg during the second half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bulls have their work cut out for them as their late-season playoff push continues. Here is a look at the games on tap for the upcoming week.
The Chicago Bulls 2016-17 season is rapidly coming to an end. With just 12 games remaining, the Bulls find themselves in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 33-37.
In addition to that, they will have to finish the regular season without Dwyane Wade, who sustained an elbow injury last week against the Memphis Grizzlies. That's the bad news.
The good news is despite the mediocrity that has defined their season, the Bulls trail both the Detroit Pistons and the Miami Heat by just one game in the standings.
Taking that into consideration, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand it is possible for the Bulls to overtake the two teams ahead of them.
In order to do so, however, they will need to start playing with a greater sense of urgency and treat every game as if it is a must-win. Because, after all, that is exactly what the scenario is from this point forward.
Here is a look at their upcoming games this week.
Feb 14, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) shoots the ball against Chicago Bulls guard Michael Carter-Williams (7) and center Robin Lopez (8) during the second half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
March 21: Toronto Raptors
For whatever reason, the Bulls have been on the winning side whenever they have played against the Raptors over the past few seasons. Not only have the Bulls beaten the Raptors 11 straight times, they have also emerged victorious in their last four visits to the Air Canada Centre.
A very impressive streak to say the least.
One similarity here is both teams will be taking the court without their second-leading scorer. In Toronto's case, the star player in question is Kyle Lowry, who is currently on the shelf with a wrist injury.
Although the Raptors certainly miss what Lowry brings to the table (22.8 points, 6.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds per contest), they have managed to win eight of the 12 games he has been out of the lineup.
With both teams looking to move up in the standings, this game should be a tight one from the opening tip off.
As has been the case the previous times these teams have collided, look for the Bulls to come away with a victory and push their inexplicable winning streak over the Raptors to 12 games.
Dec 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) looks to pass while Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (34) guards during the first half of the game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
March 23: Detroit Pistons
While the Bulls have had their way against the Raptors this season (2-0), the same cannot be said about their division rivals from the Motor City.
Although the Bulls did dominate the Pistons in a 113-82 rout when the two teams played at the United Center in late December, the Pistons have won two of the three meetings this season.
This includes a recent 109-95 victory back on March 6, a game in which Detroit outscored Chicago by a 30-16 margin in the game's final 12 minutes. The loss was Chicago's second straight defeat in what ended up being a season-high five-game losing skid.
In a game with plenty of playoff implications, the margin of error for both teams is very thin. The one common denominator coming into this matchup is the winner of the previous three meetings has scored more than 100 points.
Having said that, look for both teams to try to get out in transition as much as possible to speed up the pace of the game.
The good news for Bulls fans is their team is capable of beating a Pistons team that is just as bad as they are. The bad news is the Bulls often follow up impressive wins over the upper-echelon teams with disappointing performances against sub-.500 opponents.
In spite of that glaring trend, I'm predicting the Bulls will come away with a win in what will be a relatively low-scoring affair.
Jan 29, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) goes to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (20) during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
March 24: Philadelphia 76ers
There are certain games that fall into the category as winnable and this matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers is definitely one of them. Aside from having the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers haven't put up much of a fight against the Bulls this season.
In the first meeting between two teams back in early November, the Bulls were victorious to the tune of 105-89. And if not for being outscored by 10 points in the final stanza, the margin of victory would have been even greater.
The second meeting between these two clubs occurred in late January, with the Bulls jumping out to an early 14-point lead en route to a 121-108 victory.
So not only are the Bulls undefeated against the lowly Sixers this season, they have also limited them to just 39 and 44 percent shooting from the field into those two meetings.
In other words, by the time this one is all said and done, the Bulls will have extended their overall winning streak to four games.
Mar 6, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) and guard Khris Middleton (22) and forward Mirza Teletovic (35) in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Milwaukee Bucks won 112-98. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
March 26: Milwaukee Bucks
Remember when I mentioned that certain games on the calendar fall into the winnable category? Well, that statement does not apply to the Milwaukee Bucks.
You see, not only are the Bucks a perfect 3-0 against the Bulls this season, but the games haven't even been close. In a home-and-home set between these two squads back in mid-December, the Bucks beat the Bulls by a combined total of 37 points.
This includes a 95-69 thrashing at the United Center — a game in which the Bulls shot just 30 percent overall from the field, including an abysmal 5-for-21 effort (23.8 percent) from beyond the arc.
In the third meeting, it was more of the same. Although the Bucks lead by just four points heading into the fourth quarter, they outscored the Bulls 36-20 over the final 12 minutes to come away with a convincing 116-96 victory.
So to recap, the Bucks' average margin of victory over the Bulls is 19 points. Additionally, Milwaukee has limited Chicago to just 87.3 points in those games.
Simply put, the Bulls' winning streak will come to abrupt halt.
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