Emergency starter steps up to help keep playoff hopes alive

CHICAGO - The on-again, off-again Chicago Bulls are on again - but whether that's enough for a postseason berth won't be known until the final day of the regular season.

Emergency starter Jerian Grant had 17 points and a career-high 11 assists on Monday night as Chicago notched its most lopsided win of the season, a 122-75 rout of the Orlando Magic.

The Bulls will be guaranteed a playoff spot if they beat the Brooklyn Nets in their finale on Wednesday.

"I just want everyone to lock in and realize how important this game is," All-Star Jimmy Butler said. "We're not counting on anyone else. We control our own destiny."

Chicago remained No 8 in the Eastern Conference, one game behind Indiana after the Pacers beat the 76ers in Philadelphia. They own the tiebreaker against the Pacers as a result of a better division record.

The Bulls (40-41) also would advance in the event of a tie with the Pacers (41-40) and Heat (40-41), which outlasted the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime in Miami.

"If we don't win on Wednesday, we don't deserve to be in," Dwyane Wade said. "It is as simple as that."

The victory was the sixth for Chicago in its past eight games. Fifth-place Orlando lost for the seventh time in its past eight.

Chicago scored 14 of the first 16 points en route to a 34-13 lead at the end of the first quarter. Grant led the way with seven points, four assists and one steal.

"I was just trying to make sure guys were involved, getting guys good looks," said Grant, who replaced the injured Rajon Rondo in the lineup. "Pretty much it's win or go home."

Robin Lopez scored 18 points for the Bulls and Butler added 17.

Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic each scored 14 points for Orlando, which shot 36 from the field in the first half and 34.5 overall.

"We just had no effort on the defensive end," coach Frank Vogel said. "Offensively, we were terrible."

Rondo in limbo

Rondo (sprained right wrist) sat out a third consecutive game but reported some improvement after a pregame workout.

"It's better," reported Rondo, who met with a hand specialist earlier in the day.

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg called the injury "significant" with a "a lot of swelling".

"He'll be able to increase activity to the point that he tolerates the pain," Hoiberg said. "He's not ready yet."

Vogel said it was a bit strange to be out of the playoffs for the second time in his seven seasons as a head coach.

"What do you say about it?" Vogel said. "It's not a place that I want to be in ever again."

Tip-ins

Magic: Vucevic grabbed 10 rebounds to move ahead of Shaquille O'Neal into second place in franchise history. Only Dwight Howard has more ... The team had its streak of 100-plus points snapped at 11 consecutive games, its longest since the 1994-95 season ... Forward Jeff Green (sore lower back) sat out an eighth straight game.

Bulls: Forward Nikola Mirotic entered the game with an average of 15.6 points in March and April compared to 9.3 before then ... The team hopes to avoid consecutive years out of the playoffs for the first time since the 1998-99 to 2003-04 seasons.

Associated Press