Bulls 2021 Schedule: Top Games, Updated Championship Odds and Predictions

The Chicago Bulls' push for the playoffs begins March 11.

After finishing the first half of the regular season with a record of 14-16, the rebuilding Bulls find themselves in a position to earn a spot in the league's play-in tournament this postseason. 

The teams with the seventh-highest through the 10th-highest winning percentages in each conference will partake in a pre-playoff battle with the final seeds up for grabs. Here's how the league is structuring the event:

"At the conclusion of the regular season but before the first round of the playoffs, the team with the 7th-highest winning percentage in each conference will host the team with the 8th-highest winning percentage in a Play-In Game (the "Seven-Eight Game"). The winner of the Seven-Eight Game in each conference will earn the No. 7 seed.

"The team with the 9th-highest winning percentage in each conference will host the team with the 10th-highest winning percentage in the "Nine-Ten Game." The loser of the Seven-Eight Game will host the winner of the Nine-Ten Game in a Play-In Game, and the winner of that game in each conference will earn the No. 8 seed."

That gives Chicago plenty of opportunities to extend its season and prove the rebuild is coming along faster than expected. 

Here's who the Bulls will have to face before they can make it happen. 

2020-21 Bulls Schedule Details

Second-Half Opener: March 11 vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 8 p.m. ET

Championship Odds (via FanDuel): +25000 (bet $100 to win $25,000)

Second-Half Schedule: NBA.com

Top Matchups

New York Knicks (April 28)

There won't be any fans in the stands when Derrick Rose, Tom Thibodeau and the New York Knicks make their return to Chicago on April 28, but that won't make it any more difficult for Chicago fans to remember all the good times from when the Knicks head coach and guard made the United Center one of the toughest places to play in the NBA. 

Those Bulls teams are long gone. In their place stands a Billy Donovan-led team punching a bit above its weight class as the roster continues to develop.

The first half of the season featured encouraging Bulls wins over the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans, proving the team may have more of a foundation than previously thought. 

Playing against the Knicks might not prove much either way, but it's always enjoyable to see Thibodeau and Rose work together. 

Oklahoma City Thunder (March 16)

The Bulls' first matchup with the Thunder produced one of their more exhilarating games all year as Zach LaVine poured in 35 points in a 127-125 overtime loss on the road. Now Donovan's club will get a shot at revenge on their home court.

The two teams have made resilience and toughness hallmark characteristics of their respective rebuilds, and with a winnable game up for grabs, that's sure to lead to another epic finish.

Donovan will just have to hope this one goes his way.

Brooklyn Nets (April 4, May 11, May 15)

The Brooklyn Nets may be the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, but the Bulls have no clue how they stack up against the likes of James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving after not playing in the first half of the season.

That changes now. The Nets are playing at a level the Bulls hope to achieve in the not-too-distant future. April 4th's matchup can help show how far away Chicago is from reaching that stage. Individually, Irving provides a noteworthy challenge for guard Coby White, while Patrick Williams is likely to see time against Kevin Durant. 

This game is going to be a lesson one way or the other. How the Bulls respond to that will tell Donovan plenty about his young team. 

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