March 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Colin Sexton (2) passes the ball around Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Image The Chicago Bulls will try to keep their longshot hopes of a .500 season and a possible tailgate to the Eastern Conference play-in tournament alive when they continue their Western swing Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings.
The Bulls lost 11 straight games in all games played in February, dropping to 24-36 and falling deep into the lottery race before winning each of their last three games against playoff contenders. Chicago enters Sunday’s game 5 1/2 games behind Charlotte for the last play-in spot.
Their improved play continued Thursday night as they opened a five-game road trip with a 105-103 win at Phoenix.
When asked by reporters in Arizona why his team was trying to win when so many other losing clubs were being accused of tanking to boost their draft rankings, coach Billy Donovan put it simply: It’s more fun to win.
“I want to win,” he insisted after a win that did more to damage the Suns’ playoff positioning than help the Bulls’ plight. “You’re competing to win, so you always want to do a good job and be in a position to win the basketball game. It’s a results-oriented business.”
Collin Sexton, acquired from Charlotte at the trade deadline after averaging career lows in points (14.2) and minutes (22.3) per game, had his best game as a Suns against the Bull, scoring a season-high 30 points in a season-high 38 minutes.
The veteran has topped 20 points in each of the last three games, including contributing 22 points in a 120-97 home win over Milwaukee last Sunday, sparking some recent improved play.
The Kings haven’t seen Sexton this season. They have yet to play his former team, the Hornets, and he was still with Charlotte last October when Sacramento visited Chicago and lost 126-113 to a Bulls team then led by Nikola Vucevic (13 points, 14 rebounds), Josh Gidey (20 points, 12 assists) and Matas Bouzelis (27 points).
Vucevic was later traded to the Boston Celtics, and Gidey and Bouzelis did not play in Phoenix after suffering an ankle injury in Tuesday’s game against Oklahoma City. Giddey and Buzelis are both questionable to play on Sunday.
The Kings have lost three straight, including two straight to open a five-game homestand. With Thursday’s 133-123 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, they earned the distinction of becoming the league’s first 50-game loser.
Russell Westbrook had a 19-point, 10-assist double-double against the Pelicans, and later insisted his team was not intentionally trying to lose, despite what some media outlets claimed.
“Your job is to talk about the game, what’s happening in the game, not stir things up. That’s not accurate,” he demanded of reporters. “You come in and make comments and no one says anything. But I don’t have to sit back and say anything.
“As the leader of this team, it is my job to speak up for the people in the locker room. You are making false statements about our team and what we do here. I do not appreciate that. So all I ask is that you respect what we do and that we respect what you do.”
The Kings have won just twice in their last 22 games.
–Field level media
