Chicago Bulls: Monday night’s matchup against LAC pivotal in playoff positioning

Sunday night, the Chicago Bulls took on one of the league’s biggest names in LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Going into Sunday’s contest, the Bulls were all but guaranteed to lock into at least the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference. At 35-38, Chicago had a comfortable lead over the 11-seed Indiana Pacers and seemed destined for the play-in tournament, at the very least.

The Bulls beat the Lakers 118-108 while DeMar DeRozan proved he was as tough as they come, only missing one game due to a quad injury and returning to pour in 17 points to help the cause.

Meanwhile, Zach LaVine continued to impress as he posted a line of 32 points, four assists and a couple of boards. It was LaVine who led the way, overall, with a game-high in scoring. Now, the Bulls will take on the Clippers in the second game of a back-to-back with plenty to play for.

Monday’s game against the Clippers has playoff implications for the Chicago Bulls

With a record of 36-38 after beating the Lakers, Chicago holds firm to the 10th seed. But, with a win over the Clippers, they would find themselves in a three-way tie for the same record as the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors. From there, the Bulls could jump from the 10th seed up to the 8th seed in a matter of just a day or two.

The real question, here, is which will be the fourth team in the play-in tournament on top of Chicago, Atlanta and Toronto. Will it be the Miami Heat or Brooklyn Nets? Those are two very different potential matchups for the Bulls.

Out West, the Clippers are smack dab in the middle of a tight race. Just two games separate the four-seeded Phoenix Suns and the eight-seeded New Orleans Pelicans. The Clippers currently hold the fifth seed, but with a loss to Chicago, they could end up in a three-way tie with the same record as both the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Just one or two losses down the stretch, here, and the Clippers’ positioning could go from a top-6 seed to a play-in berth.

So, for both the Clippers and Bulls, Monday night’s game could wind up having significant implications on the ending playoff positioning in both conferences.