Luck was not in the Chicago Bulls’ favor Monday night.

The Bulls didn’t improve their positioning in the NBA draft lottery at McCormick Place and will have the No. 12 pick in the first round. The Dallas Mavericks won the No. 1 pick — despite the fourth-worst odds at 1.8% — and almost certainly will select Duke superstar Cooper Flagg.

The difference separating the two teams — 11 draft spots and the opportunity to select a certified game-changer in Flagg — came down to a coin flip.

After the play-in tournament, the Bulls and Mavericks were tied in the lottery standings with 39-43 records. Their positioning was determined by a coin flip that took place April 22 with minimal fanfare or attention.

The Mavericks won the flip, earning the 0.1% advantage that incredibly resulted in their propulsion to the top of the order for the June 25 draft in New York.

The San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets filled out the rest of the top four.

The Bulls had only a 1.7% chance of moving up to No. 1 and an 8% chance of landing in the top four. And executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnišovas refused to take any action to improve those odds, stubbornly insisting on the importance of competing for the play-in tournament despite the team’s eventual — and embarrassing — exit in a first-round blowout loss to the Miami Heat.

Karnišovas was on site for Monday’s lottery but declined to speak to media.

Ultimately, the odds held steady for the Bulls, leaving them to draft near the end of the lottery. By the time they pick, top talent such as Flagg and Duke teammate Kon Knueppel, Rutgers’ Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe and Texas’ Tre Johnson likely will be long gone.

That doesn’t mean the draft is a lost cause for the Bulls — far from it. The front office hit on Matas Buzelis with the No. 11 pick last year, an example of the talent that exists throughout the lottery. But the Bulls will have to be savvy in their selection process to repeat that feat this summer.

Buzelis preached positivity after representing the Bulls on stage during the lottery. He admitted he used to be superstitious during his youth career, the type of player who wore the same shoes during winning streaks and repeated the exact same pregame routine. But he left those rituals behind after high school, opting not to bring any lucky charms on stage Monday.

“There’s guys that are drafted in the second round who are amazing players,” Buzelis said.

“If they’re given the opportunity, they will take advantage of that. Those guys that work hard and love the game will go very far in this league.”

The Bulls haven’t given any insight into what type of position group or skill set they will be seeking in this year’s draft — and Buzelis couldn’t offer any hints either. For now, the front office will turn its attention to the NBA combine, which continues in Chicago through Sunday.