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Charlotte’s streak got caught in a tailwind.

The Bulls from the Windy City – trying to secure the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference – defeated the injury-riddled Bobcats, 100-81 on Friday at the United Center. It was just the third loss in Charlotte’s last nine games.

Playing without Gerald Wallace – its leading scorer at 18.2 points per game – Charlotte dropped the season series against a streaking Chicago squad, winners of 16 of its last 21 games.

The Bulls (48-32) routed Charlotte, helping to nearly solidify the second playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. With the win, Chicago is a half-game ahead of idle Cleveland for the No. 2 seed, which, if the playoffs started today, would face New Jersey in the first round.

With Wallace (tendonitis in both knees), Matt Carroll (back spasms), rookie Adam Morrison (left knee) and Jake Voskuhl (left knee) all sitting out, the Bobcats had little chance as Chicago built an eight-point lead in the first quarter and then never allowed Charlotte to pull within a respectable distance.

The Bobcats cut the lead to 10 on several occasions in the second half but were unable to pull within single digits, letting the Bulls fans receive a free McDonald’s Big Mac that eluded them during Tuesday’s 98-69 controversial victory over the lottery-bound Knicks.

The Bobcats (32-48) were led by five double-digit scorers, three of which came from reserves. Rookie Walter Herrmann paced all Charlotte scorers with 14 points on 6-12 from the field during a game-high 37 minutes.

Brevin Knight scored 13 points and dished out five assists while reserve guard Alan Anderson also contributed 13 points. Anderson, signed for the remainder of the season on March 17, shot 4-8 from the field during 23 minutes.

Point guard Raymond Felton added 10 points despite having a poor outing from the field, shooting just 3-13. Power forward Emeka Okafor added nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds, just a point shy of his team-best 40th double-double.

Derek Anderson, who scored 17 points against Miami, his former team, on Wednesday, contributed 10 points on 3-9 shooting from the field. Despite filling in for the injured Matt Carroll, the 32-year-old versatile guard struggled from behind the arc, finishing 1-4.

The Bulls held onto the second seed with 20 points by sophomore guard Ben Gordon. Kirk Hinrich added 18 points on 7-13 shooting from the field as Chicago avenged a 15-point loss – and 32 points from the now-injured Wallace – in Charlotte on Valentine’s Day.

Luol Deng, the only Bulls player to start the first 80 games this season, added 14 points and was the only other Chicago player to contribute double-figures.

The victory was the Bulls ninth in 11 games, and their 48 wins are the most for the Bulls since 1997-98, when they closed out the Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen era with 62 victories and their sixth championship in eight years.

The Bulls, who won their 31st game at home – its most since going 37-4 in 1997-98 – lead the all-time series 8-3, including two straight victories at the United Center.

Prior to missing Friday’s contest, Wallace, the reigning Eastern Conference Player Week, averaged 42.3 minutes over the five games and logged 40-plus minutes five times since an overtime loss on March 24 – a game he missed because of severe cramps.

Charlotte now heads to Milwaukee, trying to earn its first-ever win at the Bradley Center on Saturday in its final road contest of the season. While the Bobcats have won six of the their last nine, the Bucks have been victorious just two of their last 13 games, including Friday’s 104-102 win over the Celtics. The match-up will be televised on News 14 and broadcast on Mix 106.1 FM.