NEWSLETTER
The Bulls’ toughest challenge of the season so far will be followed by … their toughest challenge of the season so far.
The currently undefeated Utah Jazz will look to hand Chicago its second-consecutive loss at home tonight. Last year’s No. 1 seed in the Western Conference has picked up exactly where they left off, claiming the league’s most balanced attack through the first week and a half of the season (No. 1 Net Rating).
For Chicago, it will not only be another opportunity to prove they can hang with a playoff-caliber competition, but it will also be an opportunity to demonstrate just how well they can bounce back from a tough loss.
• Righting the wrongs of Thursday night’s matchup with the New York Knicks will start down low. Chicago had all kinds of trouble keeping the bigger and more physical Knicks out of the paint and off the glass. The team was out-rebounded 49-37 (including 11-5 on the offensive glass) and outscored 50-40 in the paint. Utah may not be as physically straining of a matchup, but they do have one of the top big men in the league in Rudy Gobert, as well as the 3rd-best rebounding percentage in the NBA. For Chicago to play its best basketball, they’ll need to push the pace and get out in transition. The worse they rebound, the better the opponent will be able to dictate the flow of the game. Establishing a stronger and more pesky presence inside is going to be key moving forward. Unfortunately, it’s also going to be pretty damn difficult.
• Losing your starting power forward is not ideal. Losing your starting power forward on an already undersized team is … well … even less ideal. Patrick Williams may not have been off to the most impactful start this season, but his body and athletic gifts alone gave the Bulls a much-needed presence in the frontcourt. Now, with him sidelined indefinitely, the team is going to have to turn to a number of smaller players against an upcoming schedule packed with size. For more on how the Bulls will make up for the Williams loss, check out the post below:
So What Does the Patrick Williams Injury Mean for the Bulls?https://t.co/5gWkU0QFS1
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) October 29, 2021
• Instead of rookie Marko Simonovic, the Bulls have called up big man Tyler Cook ahead of tonight’s game. I can’t say I’m particularly surprised, but I think this goes to show just how much work Simonovic still has in front of him.
Tyler Cook is at Bulls’ shootaround today. Started season with Windy City Bulls (two-way contract), but makes sense to call him back with Patrick Williams injury
— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) October 30, 2021
• The Bulls will catch a tiny break tonight with the absence of starting point guard Mike Conley and versatile forward Rudy Gay. Does Donovan Mitchell want to just rest too?
Jazz injury report:
OUT- Rudy Gay- Right Heel Injury
OUT- Mike Conley- Right Knee Injury Maintenance
Probable – Eric Paschall- Facial Infection
Probable – Miye Oni- Non-COVID Illness
Probable- Hassan Whiteside- Right Hand Contusion
OUT- Udoka Azubuike-G League Assignment
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) October 29, 2021
• Over the next couple of weeks, the Bulls will see Gobert, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, Kristaps Prozingis, Anthony Davis, Jusuf Nurkic, Nikola Jokic, Julius Randle, and Domantas Sabonis. Eek. While this team has held their own on the defensive end with small-ball lineups thanks to active hands and solid rotating (second in deflections and third in opponent turnovers), they are still giving up the 6th-most points in the paint a night and are the second-worst rebounding team in the league. What size they do have will need to be used over this next stretch, which is why I’d expect less Alize Johnson and more Tony Bradley, especially tonight. When Gobert is off the floor, the Bulls will see seven-footer Hassan Whiteside, who seems like too big of a challenge for Johnson.
• The Bulls will have to hope they can shoot better than they did on Thursday night. After a 42.9 percent outing against the Knicks (34.4 percent from behind the arc), they will face a Jazz defense that has held its opponents to the lowest effective field goal percentage in the NBA. Meanwhile, Utah has averaged the 4th-most points in an offense that chucks up a league-high in 3-point attempts. I honestly feel somewhat optimistic about the Bull’s ability to defend after holding an efficient Knicks team to their fewest points of the season, but it’s the shotmaking that worries me. While I trust that this offense will click long-term, the team is still clearly figuring itself out on that end, especially in the half-court setting. And, I don’t know about you, but it’s hard to imagine we see things finally click against this high-IQ and battle-tested Jazz team.
The Utah Jazz have the NBA's best offensive rating.
Nearly 14% of their shots have been corner 3s, easily the best mark in the NBA.
They are shooting 28.6% on those looks, 4th worst mark in the league.
Y'all should be terrified.
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) October 30, 2021
• Joakim Noah and now The Waiter!
It's Toni Kukoč night!
RT if you want this tee & we'll pick some winners ahead of tonight's giveaway!@BCBSIL | #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/vftgisMVz6
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 30, 2021
• Damian Lillard shouting out DeMar DeRozan clearly means he is coming to Chicago.
“Dame Lillard, DeMar DeRozan, Bradley Beal, trill
Me not wanting to join a super team might end up being my Achilles' heel
Hector, I’m on my shield
Trying to get next to Freak and Dirk on that lonely hill”– Dame
(Via @BARSONI95 | h/t PoEaDDict123)— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) October 30, 2021
• I’ll be there.
Week 8 Preview: 49ers at Bears — October 31, 2021https://t.co/v6HPMo4VAe
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) October 29, 2021
• The Blackhawks are one of only two winless teams left.
Enhanced Box Score: Hurricanes 6, Blackhawks 3 — October 29, 2021https://t.co/VeXvGUb2jv
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) October 30, 2021
