The Chicago Bulls may not have clinched a playoff spot on Monday night with their 122-75 win over the Orlando Magic, but they did make some team history in the lopsided victory.
The game, which moved the Bulls to within one victory of a playoff berth, was the third-largest victory in team history. The 47 point margin of victory ties a 129-82 win that the team put up on the Sacramento Kings all the way back in the 1991 season, when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were still patrolling the court on West Madison.
For those curious, the largest margin of victory over in a Bulls win is a staggering 56 points, which they achieved back in 1976 with a 130-74 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Six Bulls players scored in double figures that night, including legendary stars like Bob Love and Norm Van Lier, and all 12 players that played in the game scored at least four points in the massive blowout win.
One other game eclipsed Monday’s contest, a 129-76 win over the Houston Rockets in the 1983 season. In that game, eight Bulls scored in double figures, with Dwight Jones and Orlando Woolridge leading the team to the triumph.
In kind of a fun twist, star players like Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler had strong games against the Magic, but neither was the team’s high scorer in the blowout triumph. That distinction would go to Robin Lopez, who scored 18 points and hauled down eight rebounds in the victory.
The Bulls will have an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot on Wednesday night when they play the Brooklyn Nets at the United Center in their regular season finale. A victory would clinch a playoff spot for the Bulls, just one season after they missed the postseason for the first time in nearly a decade.
