Zach LaVine had a team-high 17 points and DeMar DeRozan scored 16, and the Chicago Bulls warmed up for a date in the NBA play-in tournament with an easy 103-81 victory over the visiting Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
With a second straight win, the Bulls (40-42) landed in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, which will send them to ninth-seeded Toronto (41-41) in a play-in elimination game Wednesday night.
The winner of that game will advance to face either the Miami Heat or Atlanta Hawks, with the winner earning the No. 8 seeding in the Eastern playoffs and an opening-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Having lost for the 23rd time in their last 25 games, the Pistons (17-65) finished with the worst record in the NBA. They will join the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets with the best odds of winning next month’s draft lottery.
After the game, Pistons coach Dwayne Casey stepped down after five seasons with the team.
With nothing to lose or gain in the standings, the Bulls played their regular starting lineup against the Pistons and failed to take control of the game until a reserve-filled final period.
No Chicago starter went more than 26 minutes.
Up just 67-64, the Bulls outscored the visitors 25-9 in the first 6:47 of the fourth quarter to open a 19-point advantage. Carlik Jones had nine of his 11 points and Ayo Dosunmu five of his nine in the burst.
LaVine shot 6-for-15 from the field and DeRozan 7-for-15 in the Bulls’ final prep before Wednesday’s trip to Toronto.
Chicago lost two of three to the Raptors this season, with the home team winning every game. The Bulls have dropped their last three decisions at Toronto.
Andre Drummond was Chicago’s leading rebounder with 10 boards off the bench.
Killian Hayes was the game’s top scorer with 26 points for the Pistons, who completed the second-losingest season in franchise history.
Hayes also had eight rebounds and seven assists.
The only time they lost more games – going 16-66 in the 1979-1980 season – the Pistons fired coach Dick Vitale in-season.
On Sunday for the Pistons, Jaden Ivey had 16 points, Marvin Bagley III 12 and James Wiseman 11 to complete a double-double with 12 rebounds. Jalen Duren pulled a game-high 18 rebounds for Detroit, while Cory Joseph accumulated a game-high nine assists.
–Field Level Media
