NEWSLETTER
To-Do List:
End the week strong on Sunday.
Start the week strong on Monday.
Game Info
Indiana Pacers vs. Chicago Bulls – 7:00 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago (TV) and 670 The Score (Radio)
Stream the game online here with your cable provider.
Projected Starters
Chicago Bulls
1. Lonzo Ball
2. Zach LaVine
3. Javonte Green
4. DeMar DeRozan
5. Tony Bradley
Injury report: Patrick Williams OUT (wrist), Nikola Vucevic OUT (COVID-19 Protocols)
Injury Update: Nikola Vucevic Remains Out Tonight, Alex Caruso Listed as Questionablehttps://t.co/ycLOWZSc1L
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) November 22, 2021
Indiana Pacers
1. Malcolm Brogdon
2. Chris Durate
3. Caris LeVert
4. Domantas Sabonis
5. Myles Turner
Injury report: T.J. Warren OUT (foot)
What to Watch For …
• The Indiana Pacers are about as average as you can get. While their record sits at 7-11, their Net Rating is exactly 0.0 and ranked 16th in the NBA. With names like Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis, Caris LeVert, and Myles Turner on the roster, it certainly feels like a squad that can give nearly any team in the league problems on any given night. However, establishing an identity and getting consistent production out of their top players has been a lingering problem, which makes me wonder: Which Pacers team are the Bulls getting tonight? Is Chicago going up against the group that lost to Detroit and only scored 89 points or rather the team that beat Philadelphia 118-113?
• If one thing is for sure, no matter which Pacers team shows up tonight, the Bulls should be able to get to the rim. Indiana allows the 5th-most points in the paint per game and also sends opponents to the free-throw line for the 4th-most attempts. We all know how dangerous Zach LaVine can be when he gets downhill, and we all know how easily DeMar DeRozan can get to the line. Hopefully, if both of those two come out attacking tonight, the Bulls can create themselves a comfortable cushion.
• Chris Durate has been one of the more successful rookies so far this season, averaging 13.4 points on 43.4 percent shooting from downtown and 39.2 percent shooting from behind the arc. He’s gone a bit cold in recent games, failing to score in double figures in four of the last five contests, but I can see a world where he has a big night tonight with Alex Caruso sidelined. The Bulls’ backcourt will surely have most of their focus on stopping leading scorer Malcolm Brogdon and streaky scorer Caris LeVert, which could create that many more opportunities for Durate.
• Speaking of which, no Caruso is a bit of a scary thought. This will be his first missed game of the season, and we all know he has been pivotal at controlling the POA and making life easier on his teammates guarding the rim. The pressure was already going to be on for guys like Tony Bradley and Derrick Jones Jr. with matchups against Sabonis and Turner, but now the potential for the Pacers to penetrate the paint becomes that much higher (Pacers average 9th-most PITP per game).
• Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner combine for roughly 19 rebounds per game.
Bulls Weekly Preview: Pacers, Rockets, Magic, and Heat — November 22-28, 2021https://t.co/zTCeaL4Fqx
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) November 22, 2021
• More in here …
Sitting At the Top of the East, Power Rankings Update, DeRozan’s Passing, and Other Bulls Bulletshttps://t.co/DRWK6mhB0Y
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) November 22, 2021
