Before dropping a winnable game on the road against the Houston Rockets, the Chicago Bulls had ripped off four straight victories, two of which came against potential Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament foes in the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.

That four-game winning streak was the longest of the season for head coach Billy Donovan’s group. Before play on March 17, Chicago stands 4.5 games ahead of the Toronto Raptors for 10th in the East and only 1 behind the Heat for ninth. A ninth-place finish would mean the Bulls host their first Play-In game, likely against Miami.

In their conference, only the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics have a better record in the last 10 games. The Bulls are 6-4, including 4-1 in their last five. They’re undoubtedly playing their best basketball of the season.

Where does that put them in this week’s power rankings, according to the “experts”?

Where the Chicago Bulls rank in week 22 NBA Power Rankings

The Athletic: No. 18

Law Murray of The Athletic put the Bulls 18th in his power rankings—and that was before they beat the Brooklyn Nets for that fourth straight win. That’s higher than the Phoenix Suns (what a disaster) and Miami and Orlando.

Murray succinctly summed up what everyone in and around the NBA is thinking: “The commitment to the 10th seed remains strong in Illinois. … But they’re still here, I guess, and they’re beating the teams they may face in the Play-In.”

I guess.

Yahoo!Sports: No. 20

Despite publishing his power rankings after the complete four-game streak of W’s, Clemente Almanza, also of OKC Thunder Wire, has Chicago moving up just one spot from 21st to 20th.

He rightly singles out Josh Giddey, who can officially be crowned the Bulls’ best player. Coby White may be giving him a run for his money over the last week or so, but Giddey’s play since the middle of January has put him right in the crosshairs of opposing defenses.

And also of opposing front offices that may be willing to hand Giddey a bag in free agency and force the Bulls to make a critical decision for their future.

NBA.com: No. 20

Despite still being in the bottom third of the league, John Schumann of NBA.com has the Bulls making the biggest jump in his rankings, moving up three spots from No. 23 to No. 20.

On the plus side, he mentions that Chicago leads the league with 12 fourth-quarter comebacks after the Bulls recovered from down 10 to win by six over the Nets.

On the negative (or perhaps realistic) side, the team could be in for a rude awakening, as the loss to Houston kicks off the Bulls’ longest road trip of the season with six games coming in 10 days, all on the West Coast.