The Windy City's loss was the Motor City's gain.
The Pistons put themselves in the driver's seat Wednesday in the race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference by beating the Magic 118-102. Coupled with the Bulls' 115-107 loss to the Knicks, the Pistons moved into the eighth spot and pushed the Bulls out of the playoff picture.
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The win was the fourth in a row for the Pistons (38-34), who got a big game from Andre Drummond (30 points, 14 rebounds) and shot 53.8 percent from the field.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Bulls (36-34) will have to spend their next 12 games battling not only the Pistons, but also the Wizards (35-36), who had won five in a row before losing 122-101 to the Hawks on Wednesday.
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It seems so long ago that the Bulls were in second place in the East and looked like they might be able to challenge the Cavaliers for No. 1. The way things are going now, they'll be lucky if they get to play the Cavs in the first round.
Stud of the Night
The Bulls' Nikola Mirotic went off in a losing effort. He scored 35 points on 10-for-17 shooting, including a 9-for-13 performance from behind the 3-point line.
Dud of the Night
The Raptors get this award as a team. They shot 34.8 percent and had only three players score in double figures as they fell 91-79 to the Celtics.
Tweet of the Night
Emmanuel Mudiay’s shot was on point and the Nuggets captured a 104-103 win over the 76ers thanks to this long-range game-winner. The rookie had a big night: 27 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
Review (Van Duyne): if Mudiay’s made FG was released before time exp., Q4, #PHIatDEN. Ruling: Upheld, shot counts. https://t.co/u92TaQn01i
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) March 24, 2016
Looking ahead
Bulls (36-34) at Knicks (29-43), 7:30 p.m. ET: Plain and simple, the Bulls can’t afford another letdown in this rare back-to-back rematch as they look to avoid falling further behind in the race for the East's final playoff spot.