ATLANTA _ Anyone expecting, say, Lauri Markkanen to come down with an illness after the Hawks announced second-year standout John Collins would miss the Bulls' 168-161 victory in quadruple overtime Friday with flu-like symptoms wasn't paying attention last April.
That's when executive vice president John Paxson publicly detailed how the Bulls wouldn't prioritize draft-lottery positioning this season after participating in the unseemly, if popular, practice last season.
"It's not a situation that any of us want to ever be in again," Paxson said then. "It goes against everything as a competitive person that you believe in. But it's the way the system is set up."
The system remains in place, although it has been tweaked. Now, the three worst teams share 14 percent odds to earn Zion Williamson, er, the No. 1 pick in the May 14 draft lottery. The Bulls are three games clear of the Hawks for the league's fourth-worst record, which carries 12.5 percent odds to strike lottery gold.
The Bulls set a franchise record for points while playing their third quadruple-overtime game in franchise history and winning for the fifth time in six games. Markkanen, who had taken just two shots since the end of regulation, sank all three free throws with 1 minute, 59 seconds left in the fourth overtime after Alex Len fouled him to nudge the Bulls ahead for good.
Zach LaVine, who scored a career-high 47 points with nine assists and nine rebounds, added a driving layup for a five-point lead with 37.1 seconds left.
It was the third-highest-scoring game in league history and 16th quadruple-overtime game. It marked the first time since December 2006 both teams scored 150 points.
Trae Young sank a deep 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in regulation for a three-point Hawks lead, forced double overtime with a driving layup with 1 second left and put on a show that will live for ages. The rookie sensation finished with a career-high 49 points with 16 assists, fouling out Kris Dunn along the way.
Otto Porter Jr., who finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds, forced overtime when he sank three free throws with 0.4 seconds left. Porter tied a career-high with seven 3-pointers.
Markkanen added 31 points and 17 rebounds for his 11th straight game with at least 20 points and nine rebounds. It's the first time in history the Bulls had three 30-point scorers in the same game.
The teams meet again Sunday in Chicago, and Collins _ averaging 19.5 points per game _ presumably will play.
"We're all hoping that you get a good draft pick, but I think you're also hoping that you can build some chemistry and some culture and some toughness and some togetherness," coach Jim Boylen said. "I don't know if teams realize doing it (by tanking) doesn't do that for you."
To be clear, Boylen answered a general question about the practice and wasn't saying anything derogatory about the Hawks. The team said Collins was ill as early as the morning shootaround.
The Bulls are focused on their own business, and Boylen pointed to the 2017 draft-day trade acquisition of Markkanen and last June's selection of Wendell Carter Jr. as examples to support their current approach.
"Our front office has done a great job of drafting and we've gotten two really good players at No. 7," Boylen said, referencing Markkanen and Carter. "You could fairly argue that they're top-three players in their drafts.
"The draft is not a certainty by any stretch of the imagination. What I've said before and believe in is to try to get our guys to compete and play hard and play together. That's my focus and my marching orders. So that's what I'm going to do."
The NBA intervened last season when the Bulls removed Robin Lopez and Justin Holiday from the lineup after the All-Star break and didn't play them at all. Both then began playing limited reserve minutes, often in alternating games.
That experience isn't the only reason for Paxson's public position. As a former player, he has spoken of being cognizant of current players' competitiveness.
And most important, LaVine said the franchise wants to establish the right habits.
"I think the hardest thing to do in the NBA is learn how to win games," LaVine said. "I haven't won in my career at this level yet. RoLo (Robin Lopez) has been to the playoffs, Otto has been to the playoffs, Wayne (Selden Jr.) has been to the playoffs. But there's not a lot of people in this room who have playoff experience.
"We have to learn how to win before we become a team that's striving for things after April. Now is when you learn to build that culture and chemistry."
LaVine emphatically stated his belief that a strong finish to an underwhelming, injury-marred season can be beneficial.
"You get used to knowing how to play and the guys you're playing with. And you're enjoying that winning feeling," LaVine said. "You don't want a bad taste or a losing culture going into the offseason. Even though we won't make the playoffs, we can go into the offseason knowing that we're building something. That helps us for what we're working on in the offseason."
