Bulls Drop Home Finale to Magic 127-103, Buzelis Exists With Injury

It was the last time "Sirius" echoed around the United Center this season.

This Alan Parsons Project's iconic composition — the Chicago Bulls' long-time pregame anthem since 40 years ago that once soundtracked the franchise's six championship runs in the 1990s — now feels more like a eulogy than a battle cry, though the arena was still packed. The music still played. But the glory it once represented felt further away than ever.

With Billy Donovan having shut down a series of players for the season's remainder, the starting lineup on Friday night provided novelty. The announcer's booming call — "Lachlan Olbrich, from Australia" — introduced the international forward, who just converted his two-way contract to a standard one with the Bulls, to a starting role for the first time in his NBA career. Matas Buzelis, returning from injury, was the only recognizable face among the starters. 

Swinging between residual competitiveness and a better lottery position, the Bulls fell to the latter, losing to the Orlando Magic 127-103 in their home finale. Tre Jones led the team with 23 points. Leonard Miller posted 15 points and collected seven rebounds. Buzelis notched 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds before exiting the game with a right ankle injury.

Wendell Carter Jr. wasted no time against his former team, opening the game with a cutting jam as Orlando jumped out to a 9-2 lead. Chicago recovered and briefly took charge at 13-12, with Collin Sexton steadying things despite misfiring on two free throws and a fastbreak layup. Miller injected some early life, forcing back-to-back turnovers and converting the transition layup. Herb Jones kept the gap close heading into the second quarter — just two points.

Buzelis struggled to find his footing early, eventually breaking through with a transition bucket. Yuki Kawamura and Sexton connected for a steal — capped by Sexton finishing off a fastbreak feed from Kawamura's back-heel pass — to cut Chicago's deficit to 34-37. But Orlando wasn't interested in letting it stay close.

The Bulls went ice-cold as the Magic steadily pulled away. Jamal Cain drilled back-to-back threes, Franz Wagner added another from the top of the key, and suddenly, Chicago was staring at a 13-point hole. Rob Dillingham and Olbrich offered brief sparks, but the Bulls trudged into halftime trailing 64-53 after an Olbrich drive-and-dunk and a Buzelis alley-oop jam in the final seconds provided cosmetic relief.

The second half offered no reset. Jalen Suggs opened the third quarter with consecutive triples, extending Orlando's lead to 20 within minutes. His third consecutive deep ball, another triple from the left wing at the 5:25 mark, punctuated Chicago's helplessness. Herb Jones was the Bulls' one genuine bright spot, finishing with a game-high 10 points in the quarter alone.

Then came the final blow. Buzelis went down with a knee injury in the fourth quarter and limped off the court, casting another shadow over a night already short on optimism. The second unit — including Mouhamadou Gueye, signed earlier this week — closed out the home slate from there.

The Bulls head to Dallas on Sunday for their season finale against the Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. CT.