The Chicago Bulls overwhelmed the Washington Wizards 119-89 at United Center on Friday night, riding a breakout performance from Julian Phillips.
The forward led all scorers with a career-best 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting, helping the Bulls improve to 38-43 ahead of next week’s Eastern Conference play-in game.
Chicago, locked into the ninth seed, will host the 10th-place Miami Heat in a loser-out matchup on Wednesday.
Matas Buzelis added 20 points and Coby White chipped in 16 points with nine rebounds, as the Bulls extended their recent run to five wins in their last six outings.
The Wizards fell to 17-64 after suffering their eighth loss of the season by 30 or more points.
Justin Champagnie posted a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds for Washington, while rookie Bub Carrington contributed 18 points and a season-high 11 assists.
Tristan Vukcevic tallied 17 points off the bench and Kyshawn George reached double figures with 10.
The Bulls took command in the second quarter, opening with a 3-pointer from Kevin Huerter that gave them a 34-32 lead they never surrendered.
Chicago outscored Washington 32-19 in the second period and led 58-43 at halftime.
The Bulls shot 46.2 percent from the field and converted 20 of 22 free throws, while limiting the Wizards to 38.5 percent overall and just 24.4 percent from deep.
Nikola Vucevic delivered 15 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, narrowly missing a triple-double in one of his most complete performances of the season.
Chicago dominated the glass 54-41 and registered 32 assists on 43 made field goals.
Washington turned the ball over 16 times and allowed the Bulls to score 20 fast-break points.
Talen Horton-Tucker added 12 points off the bench, while Zach Collins and Jevon Carter scored eight apiece to bolster a well-rounded effort.
The Wizards, who already held the league’s worst record, extended their losing streak to five games heading into their final regular season contest.
