Bulls Seek Lottery Positioning in Matchup with Lowly Wizards

Injury-plagued teams battle for draft positioning in Thursday night clash

Apr. 9, 2026 at 7:06pm

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A cubist, multi-perspective painting featuring fragmented, overlapping geometric shapes in the colors of the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards uniforms, capturing the abstract energy of a basketball game between the two teams.Two struggling franchises battle for draft positioning in a fractured, geometric depiction of their matchup.Washington Today

The Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, two teams with lengthy injury reports and poor records, will face off on Thursday night in a game that has major implications for their draft lottery positioning. The Bulls, currently the 11th seed in the East, have gone just 7-27 since January 26th and recently made front office changes. The Wizards have been even worse, going 3-23 since the All-Star break and struggling to find consistent production from their roster.

Why it matters

This matchup between two struggling teams provides an opportunity to evaluate young talent and jockey for better draft positioning ahead of what is expected to be a generational draft class. Both franchises are in rebuilding mode and will be closely watching the lottery results to see where they land in the draft order.

The details

Despite the Bulls' overall respectable position in the East, they have been one of the league's worst teams since late January. Chicago has struggled on both ends of the floor, ranking third-to-last in offensive rating and 11th-to-last in defensive rating over that span. The Wizards have been even worse, ranking fourth-to-last offensively and third-to-last defensively since the All-Star break. Both teams have been plagued by injuries, with a combined 18 players listed as out for this game. The Bulls will be without several key contributors, including Matas Buzelis, Zach Collins, and Josh Giddey, while the Wizards will be missing the likes of Bilal Coulibaly, Anthony Davis, and Trae Young.

  • The game is scheduled for Thursday, April 9, 2026 at 7:10 p.m. ET.
  • Since the All-Star break, the Bulls have gone 7-27, while the Wizards have gone just 3-23.

The players

Tre Jones

A 6'1" guard for the Chicago Bulls who has averaged the most shots within five feet of any player listed at 6'1" or shorter since the All-Star break.

Julian Reese

A young big man for the Washington Wizards who has recorded four double-doubles in 10 games since joining the team and could be part of their rotation next season.

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What they’re saying

“Neither team has provided very much resistance on the interior. Since the All-Star break, the Wizards have given up a league-high 37.4 attempts per game within five feet, and the Bulls have allowed 33.3.”

— Griffin Wong, Analyst

“The Wizards looked truly hapless in their 31-point loss on Tuesday, and I can't imagine tonight's result will be much better.”

— Griffin Wong, Analyst

What’s next

The outcome of this game will have a significant impact on the draft lottery odds for both teams, as they continue to jockey for position in the race for a top pick in the upcoming generational draft class.

The takeaway

This matchup between two struggling franchises highlights the importance of roster health and development as teams look to rebuild through the draft. Both the Bulls and Wizards will be closely monitoring the lottery results to see where they land and how that impacts their long-term plans.