Washington has just one game remaining
The Washington Wizards lost to the Chicago Bulls 119-89 on Friday, dropping to 17-64 on the season.
Justin Champagnie opened the first frame the same way he’d opened the previous three contests: aggressive. The 23-year-old forward scored nine points in the opening frame on 4-for-6 shooting to keep Washington afloat. Chicago led 26-24 entering the second quarter after a late and-1 layup from guard Coby White.
Tristan Vukcevic, fresh off a career-high 24 points against Philadelphia, continued his strong play, scoring 11 first-half points after starting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. Kyshawn George contributed as well, draining a pair of triples to keep Chicago from running away with the game early.
Chicago led 58-43 at halftime, as the Wizards failed to get to the free-throw line even once in the first 24 minutes of play.
Bub Carrington got going in the third quarter, scoring 11 of his 18 points while finding his teammates for open looks. The rookie finished with 18 points, 11 assists and five rebounds on 7-for-15 shooting.
Chicago grew its lead to 28 points entering the final frame as it looked to lock up the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls did just that in the fourth quarter, dominating Washington en route to a blowout win.
Justin Champagnie led the way for the Wizards with 22 points and 14 rebounds — his fourth straight double-double. Alex Sarr struggled, shooting 3-for-15 from the field and 1-for-8 from 3-point range.
With Friday’s loss, Washington secured a bottom-two record, meaning the worst they can pick come June’s NBA Draft is No. 6. They have one game remaining: Sunday at Miami.