Bulls Weekly Preview: Lakers, Hawks, and Rockets – November 5-9, 2019

New week. New wins?

We’re Going Streaking

Chicago Bulls (2-5) – It finally looked like the Bulls season could turn around … and then it didn’t. A decent performance against the Detroit Pistons was all for nothing as the team suffered arguably its worst loss (and, yes, that’s saying something) to a depleted Pacers squad.

Los Angeles Lakers (5-1) – The Lakers have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, so how do you think things are going? The team has easily taken care of opponents since an opening night loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Atlanta Hawks (2-3) – When Trae Young is in the ballgame, the Hawks compete. Atlanta has already picked up wins over the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons, while also only losing by two to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Houston Rockets (4-3) – As expected, things have been a bit bumpy with the Harden-Westbrook duo. Offensively, the Rockets are tied with the Bulls for the fourth-worst three-point percentage in the league at 31.2 percent. On the other side of the ball, the team has the third-worst defensive rating in the league (113.6). The Grizzlies and Wizards have both played them close, so they’re oddly vulnerable.

Game Times and Broadcast Info

Game 1: Tuesday, November 5th – Lakers at Bulls (7:00 CT) on NBC Sports Chicago, 670 The Score

Game 2: Wednesday, November 6th – Bulls at Hawks (6:30 CT) on NBC Sports Chicago, 670 The Score

Game 3: Saturday, November 9th – Rockets at Bulls (7:00 CT) on NBC Sports Chicago, 670 The Score

Chicago Bulls Roster Notes:

Expected Starters:

1. Tomas Satoransky
2. Zach LaVine
3. Otto Porter
4. Lauri Markkanen
5. Wendell Carter Jr.

Unavailable/Injured: Wow, the Bulls are healthy!

Additional Roster Notes: Chandler Hutchison still hasn’t checked into a game this season despite being cleared before Sunday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers. I’d expect to see him as soon as tonight. Otto Porter sat out of Monday’s practice due to an ankle injury but isn’t expected to miss any time.

Otto Porter didn’t practice with that mildly sprained left ankle. Jim Boylen called him probable vs. Lakers.

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) November 4, 2019

Opponents’ Roster Notes:

Unavailable/Injured:

Lakers – Rajon Rondo OUT (calf), Avery Bradley OUT (lower leg)

Note: Forward Kyle Kuzma is still working his way back to normal minutes after playing his first game of the season on November 3rd. ESPN’s Eric Woodyard reported that Kuzma should be receiving a season-high in minutes tonight after head coach Frank Vogel announced he can play 26 minutes.

Hawks – John Collins OUT (25-game-suspension), Chandler Parsons OUT (knee), Allen Crabbe OUT (knee), Evan Turner OUT (left Achilles pain)

Note: Trae Young should be back in time for tomorrow’s game. The real question: How much does he play in a back-to-back coming off an ankle injury?

Atlanta guard Trae Young (ankle) is expected to practice today, league sources tell ESPN. Barring a setback, he will likely return to lineup Tuesday vs. San Antonio, per sources.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 4, 2019

Rockets – Nene OUT (hip), Gerald Green OUT (foot)

Eric Gordon is questionable right now for Wednesday’s game with a hamstring injury. I expect he’ll be all good to go by Saturday though.

Keep An Eye Out For …

Bulls Player: I’m going with the hot hand: Wendell Carter Jr. The Bulls second-year player has been on a roll, and he’s nearly averaging a double-double on the season with 14.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. The most impressive thing has been just how efficient he is on the offensive end, shooting 61.5 percent from the field. Although, his bread-and-butter will forever be his defense, and the Bulls will need it this week more than ever with Anthony Davis and Clint Capela coming to town.

Oh, also, the hype is real …

Wendell Carter Jr. is "a guy who has the potential to win Defensive Player of the Year"
– @tomhaberstroh pic.twitter.com/Q6oQ9o4Tnd

— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) November 5, 2019

Lakers Player: Obvious, but necessary. A homecoming for Anthony Davis, the big man is in store for a monster performance. The Bulls have no one on their team who can guard Davis, let alone grab a rebound over him. I fully expect the Lakers to feed Davis the ball and let him dominate all night. The Bulls are allowing the 5th-most points in the paint per game (51.7), and I suspect Davis knows that. The only silver lining heading into this matchup is Davis’ three-ball hasn’t been landing, but there’s arguably no better defense to go up against to get back in the shooting-groove than the Bulls. Ugh.

Hawks Player: I hate that I’m about to type this name, but I have to: Jabari Parker. No, on any normal night, I’m not afraid of Parker. However, this Bulls team defies all things normal, and a revenge game could very well be in the works. Parker was shipped off last season after an extremely bumpy road with head coach Jim Boylen. We already saw one piece in that trade dominate the Bulls (Bobby Portis), so I guarantee you Parker is longing for the opportunity to do the same. Also, all things considered, he hasn’t had a bad start to the year. He’s shooting 55.1 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from downtown with 13.8 points per game.

Rockets Player: If players like Collin Sexton and T.J. Leaf can have moments against this Bulls team, then I can’t even imagine what Russell Westbrook might do. For a defense that is continuously beaten off the dribble and allows easy straight-line drives to the hoop, the Bulls have every reason to be afraid of Westbrook. As 670 The Score’s Cody Westerlund pointed out over Twitter, the Bulls are allowing the highest percentage of opponents field-goal attempts to come from 0-3 feet from the hoop. Westbrook could be in store for an easy triple-double.