DETROIT — The Chicago Bulls clinched the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 127-105 victory against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night, giving them home-court advantage in the first round of the play-in tournament.
The Bulls will play host to the 10th-seeded Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday at the United Center.
If the Bulls win Wednesday, they will advance to face the loser of the first-round matchup between the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds. The Philadelphia 76ers are currently seventh in the East and the Miami Heat eighth.
The winner of the 7-8 game will earn the No. 7 seed in the playoffs, while the loser will face the Bulls-Hawks winner to determine the No. 8 seed.
DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 39 points, including four 3-pointers. Nikola Vučević added 27 points and 11 rebounds while Javonte Green had 11 points and eight rebounds in his third start of the season.
The game also marked a crucial milestone for guard Alex Caruso, who played the final 20 minutes required to be eligible for end-of-season awards — Caruso hopes to return to the NBA All-Defensive first team after earning the honor for the first time last year.
Caruso had a career-high 10 assists along with eight points and two steals in Tuesday’s win.
The Bulls’ future is clouded by injury — a challenge that has become the status quo this season. Center Andre Drummond (left ankle sprain) and guard Ayo Dosunmu (right thigh bruise) did not play Thursday. Drummond requires a scooter to move around as he navigates “issues weight bearing,” according to coach Billy Donovan.
Both players traveled to Detroit and will remain on the road through Sunday’s season finale in New York, but Donovan is uncertain whether either will be available for the play-in tournament. If either is cleared before Sunday, Donovan will have to weigh whether to play them against the New York Knicks in order to ensure their fitness is ready for the postseason.
“After Sunday’s game, I don’t know what their availability will be,” Donovan said. “I don’t really worry about Ayo’s conditioning or even Andre’s conditioning. Hopefully it’s not going to be longer than the remainder of the season, but I just still don’t know.”
The Bulls have two final-regular season matchups — Friday against the Wizards in D.C. and Sunday against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden — before focusing on Wednesday’s game against the Hawks.
