After a tough matchup with the 76ers, the Bulls have a good chance to secure two much-needed wins against a 14th-seeded Pistons team and a banged-up Cavs squad.
Meet the Opponents:
• 3/07 @ 76ers (39-24): WE GOT OUT BROOMS!
• 3/09 @ Pistons (17-47): Cade Cunningham >> Ayo Dosunmu
• 3/4 vs. Cavaliers (37-27): Looks like Lauri Markanen is about to put up a new season-high!
Bulls Projected Lineup
1. Ayo Dosunmu
2. Zach LaVine
3. DeMar DeRozan
4. Javonte Green
5. Nikola Vučević
Opponent Projected Lineup
76ers:
1. James Harden
2. Tyrese Maxey
3. Matisse Thybulle
4. Tobias Harris
5. Joel Embiid
Pistons:
1. Cory Joseph
2. Cade Cunningham
3. Saddiq Bey
4. Jerami Grant
5. Isaiah Stewart
Cavaliers:
1. Darius Garland
2. Isaac Okoro
3. Lauri Markkanen
4. Evan Mobley
5. Kevin Love
Unavailable/Injured (at the start of the week):
Bulls: Lonzo Ball OUT (knee), Alex Caruso OUT (wrist), Patrick Williams OUT (wrist), Nikola Vucevic QUESTIONABLE (hamstring)
76ers: Paul Millsap OUT (personal)
Pistons: Frank Jackson OUT (back), Hamidou Diallo QUESTIONABLE (illness)
Cavaliers: Collin Sexton OUT (knee), Rajon Rondo OUT (toe), Caris LeVert OUT (foot), Jarrett Allen OUT (finger)
Injury updates via ESPN.
Four Factors
• Bulls: 54.8 EFG% (4th), 13.0 TOV% (7th), 24.7 OREB% (29th), .240 FTA RATE (20th)
• 76ers: 52.9 EFG% (14th), 12.8 TOV% (3rd), 23.9 OREB% (30th), .272 FTA RATE (2nd)
• Pistons: 48.6 EFG% (30th), 14.5 TOV% (20th), 27.6 OREB% (11th), .246 FTA RATE (15th)
• Cavaliers: 53.6 EFG% (9th), 15.4 TOV% (29th), 27.9 OREB% (9th), .253 FTA RATE (9th)
What to Watch For …
Bulls: While the Bulls may have failed to come away with the victory, Zach LaVine looked a lot like his former self against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night. He scored 30 points on a solid 13-26 shooting performance, mixing in some aggressive drives to the rim with some smooth midrange jumpers. I talked plenty more about this on Sunday, so I’ll direct your attention there, but my eyes will be on LaVine this week to see if he can continue to look like the explosive scorer we know he can be.
An Underdog Mentality, Running the Road Gauntlet, Zach LaVine’s Strong Showing, and Other Bulls Bulletshttps://t.co/RNpuwo25pe
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) March 6, 2022
76ers: The Chicago Bulls’ bench has been outscored by the Philly bench 90-50 over their first three contests this season. Georges Niang drop 18 points in one game and Furkan Korkmaz dropped 25 points in another. Both players killed the Bulls behind the 3-point line, converting on a number of catch-and-shoot buckets as the Bulls tried to collapse toward the paint. My expectations are not high when it comes to the Bulls’ ability to prevent another strong performance from the 76ers’ reserves, but perhaps someone like Coby White or Tristan Thompson can match what those players bring to the table. We saw Thompson add an energetic 11 points in his Bulls debut, and the 76ers are a bit short on big man depth with the departure of Andre Drummond in the Harden-Simmons swap. As for White, he’s been on a rocky road since returning to the team’s bench, but he has reached the 15-point threshold in two of the last four games. The Bulls can only hope he does it again tonight.
Bulls' bench has been outscored by the 76ers' bench in each of the previous three contests by a wide margin:
40-27
30-13
20-10Reserves simply have to find a way to make a greater impact tonight. Whether it be White or Thompson, Bulls will need to find a second unit boost.
— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) March 7, 2022
Pistons: Believe it or not, the Detroit Pistons are actually kind of a bad matchup for the Chicago Bulls. Not only are they one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the league, but they have the kind of versatile length that can sometimes give the Bulls’ offense a scare. They also have the No. 1 pick in the draft, who has only looked better and better in recent weeks. In his six games since the All-Star break, Cade Cunningham is averaging 20.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. The rookie is a big guard with a tremendous feel for the game, and it should be fun to watch him match up with fellow Rising Star Ayo Dosunmu.
Cavaliers: The Cleveland Cavaliers have the positional size and elite rim protection to give the Bulls fits, and we saw that on full display when they beat them 115-92 on December 8th. The Bulls did find a way to return the favor, though, grabbing their own double-digit victory in January behind a superb combined effort from Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan. The team moved the ball well and kept the action ahead of this bigger Cavs lineup. One can only hope they do the same this time around, especially now that we know All-Star center Jarrett Allen is sidelined indefinitely with a finger injury. Rookie Evan Mobley is still talented enough to make some big-time rejections at the rim, but the Bulls should have an easier time playing downhill and getting to the cup in this meeting.
Question of the Week:
Last week’s question: So do the Bulls look like a team that could hang with either the Heat or Bucks in a playoff series?
Maybe. What last week taught us is that this current version of the Chicago Bulls simply isn’t equipped to hang with the East elites. The Miami Heat picked apart the Bulls with their physicality and depth. Meanwhile, Milwaukee used their experience and free-throw line dominance to close things out in a swift fashion. Are things different if Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso are in the lineup? It’s a fair question, especially when we consider some of the stats in the post below …
No Ball, No Caruso, No Balance for the Bullshttps://t.co/y88dbOadbk
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) March 7, 2022
This week’s question: So … where will the Bulls be seeded?