Chicago had no issues handling the Washington Wizards, the owners of the lowest win percentage in the NBA this season.
The Bulls are rarely in the news for their on-court performances anymore. Amid front office firings, player controversies and coaching rumors, the actual basketball has taken a backseat in Chicago since the team's trade deadline pivot.
Tuesday finally provided an opportunity to return the attention to the action, and the Bulls took advantage. In a 31-point blowout, Chicago dominated the league-worst Washington Wizards on the road, 129-98. It was Chicago's largest victory this season.
The win moved Billy Donovan's team to 30-49 on the season and ended an ongoing seven-game losing streak. Washington (17-62) remained in control of the No. 1 odds in the NBA Draft Lottery.
Chicago's bench provided the offensive spark. Rob Dillingham scored a career-high 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting and grabbed seven boards. Patrick Williams stuffed the stat sheet with a season-best 20 points and totaled seven rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block. The two combined to go 9-of-14 from downtown.
Tre Jones chipped in 20 points and dished out nine assists, while Collin Sexton logged 15 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
Bilal Coulibaly led all Wizards players with 19 points on 70% shooting.
The Bulls missed a handful of triples to start the game, but after knotting the score at eight apiece, Chicago used a 20-5 run to generate a sizeable lead. That advantage grew to 20 by the end of the first quarter, thanks to eight points each from Jones and Dillingham.
Williams' efforts helped extend that margin. The 24-year-old forward made all three of his shots and all four of his free throws on the way to 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in the first half alone. Five double-figure scorers helped Chicago enter the break with a 66-37 lead.
Donovan's group dominated the turnover battle, outscoring Washington off of giveaways at the intermission, 13-0.
Chicago's lead grew to a season-high 37 points through three quarters, resulting in some extended playing time for the team's G League guys. Mac McClung saw his longest stretch of action in a Bulls uniform by notching five points and three assists in 18 minutes. Lachlan Olbrich finished with seven points, seven boards and three blocks, and Yuki Kawamura drilled a late three-pointer.
The Bulls will remain in Washington, D.C. before facing the Wizards again on Thursday night. Chicago then closes out the regular season with a Friday home game against the Magic and a Sunday finale in Dallas.