Similar to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Chicago Bulls have been in quite the hole. Heading into their matchup against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, the Bulls were on a five-game losing streak. Currently, the Bulls are standing in the way of the Sixers’ desired NBA Play-In Tournament push.

Although the Bulls didn’t offload every core player at the trade deadline, they certainly entered selling mode and put themselves in a position to fire up a rebuild.

Since trading away the multi-time All-Star Zach LaVine earlier this month, the Bulls have been on a tough skid. The losing streak continued on Saturday with a loss against the Phoenix Suns.

Despite a 24-point, 10-assist effort from Josh Giddey, the Bulls veteran’s double-double wasn’t enough to keep up with Phoenix’s star trio.

Kevin Durant had a double-double, producing 27 points, 11 rebounds, and adding five assists. The veteran guard, Bradley Beal, contributed to 25 points in 38 minutes. Devin Booker shot 10-20 from the field to produce 29 points. He nearly notched a double-double by dishing out eight assists.

The Suns defeated the Bulls 121-117.

With a 20-35 record, the Sixers placed 1.5 games behind the Bulls, who currently possess the final Play-In spot. While many fans have pounded the table for the Sixers to focus more on developing the young prospects on the roster and prioritizing keeping their Top-6 protected pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Sixers have made it clear that making a push fo a playoff spot is their goal.

A win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night would place the Sixers 0.5 games back from the Bulls. The Sixers and the Bulls will face each other on Monday, giving Philadelphia a chance to move into the Eastern Conference’s 10th seed.

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