Chicago Bulls: Top 10 moments from 2017-18 NBA season

2. Bobby Portis doing work against Philadelphia 76ers

This Feb. 22 game included a bunch of firsts for the rebuilding Bulls. For starters, it was the first game in which Zach LaVine, Dunn and Markkanen played together without any of the players being on a minutes limit.

This outing also marked the first time Cristiano Felicio started and the return of backup point guard Cameron Payne, who missed the first half of the season due to offseason foot surgery. Robin Lopez and Jerian Grant were kept out of the rotation in light of the front office mandate to evaluate the team’s younger players.

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With all the shenanigans taking place in terms of the sudden lineup changes, it would have been reasonable to presume that the Bulls were going to struggle against the Sixers. Ironically, that was not the case and they even had a chance to win the game as they held a five-point lead with 1:02 left to play in regulation.

As was the case early in the season, though, the young Bulls found a way to lose down the stretch. Thanks to a pair of free throws by Rookie of the Year candidate Ben Simmons (32 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds), the Sixers escaped with a 117-115 victory.

In spite of the disappointing loss, one of the bright spots for the Bulls was Portis. In 34 minutes of action, the third-year forward scored a career-high 38 points on an impressive 15-for-26 shooting from the field. He also canned 6-of-9 attempts from 3-point range.

On a night in which Dunn (2-for-11) and Markkanen (1-for-8) failed to make much of an impact, Portis provided the Bulls with a prime-time performance. Without his production, the Sixers win this one handily.