LeBron James returned from injury after a 13-game absence but could not prevent the Los Angeles Lakers from falling to a 118-108 defeat by the Chicago Bulls.
James, 38, scored 19 points off the bench and afterwards revealed he was recovering from a torn tendon in his right foot.
Zach LaVine hit 32 points to lead the Bulls to a seventh win in nine games.
The Lakers have dropped to ninth in the Western Conference, with seven regular season games remaining.
Teams placed seventh to 10th in the Western and Eastern conferences will contest the play-in tournament, with two teams taking the final two spots in the play-offs.
James, 38, scored 19 points off the bench and afterwards revealed he was recovering from a torn tendon in his right foot.
Zach LaVine hit 32 points to lead the Bulls to a seventh win in nine games.
The Lakers have dropped to ninth in the Western Conference, with seven regular season games remaining.
Teams placed seventh to 10th in the Western and Eastern conferences will contest the play-in tournament, with two teams taking the final two spots in the play-offs.