Pre-Gamin’: Spurs at Bulls (7:00 CT) – Broadcast Info, Projected Lineups, What to Watch For
The Bulls finished out last week strong with a pair of wins over the Hornets and Trail Blazers. The Spurs come to town tonight. Hopefully, it’s a cruise control-type win, but I know better than to assume that with this team.
Game Info
San Antonio Spurs (14-39) at Chicago Bulls (24-27) – 7:00 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago (TV) and 670 The Score (Radio)
Projected Starting Lineups
Chicago Bulls
- Ayo Dosunmu
- Zach LaVine
- DeMar DeRozan
- Patrick Williams
- Nikola Vučević
Injury Report: Patrick Williams PROBABLE (ankle), Alex Caruso QUESTIONABLE (foot), Lonzo Ball OUT (knee), Javonte Green OUT (knee)
San Antonio Spurs
- Malaki Branham
- Josh Richardson
- Keldon Johnson
- Keita Bates-Diop
- Jakob Poeltl
Injury Report: Keldon Johnson QUESTIONABLE (ankle), Tre Jones QUESTIONABLE (foot), Romeo Langford OUT (hip), Jeremy Sochan OUT (back)
Odds
The Bulls come into tonight as 10-point favorites against the Spurs at both PointsBet Illinois Sportsbook and FanDuel Illinois Sportsbook. Click on either link to sign up and pick the Bulls to cover (… or pick the opposite …)!
What to Watch For
- I mentioned it in the weekly preview, and Eli has done a great job covering the latest buzz, but it’s trade deadline week. The front office seems set on buying, so it will be interesting to see what moves they try to make, and which (if any) they’re able to pull off. There are obviously multiple holes to fill. Whether that’s rim protection, more 3-point shooting, another veteran point guard, or length on the wing expect the Bulls to make a move or two before Thursday.
- As for tonight’s game, the Spurs are terrible. They’ve lost 8 in a row and 13 of their last 14 and they’ve allowed 119+ in 12 of those 14 games. As long as the Bulls don’t sleepwalk, they should be able to fall into 120 points.
- It was nice seeing the Bulls in the last two wins finish out games in the 2nd Half and 4th quarter. In Saturday’s win over Portland, they battled back from a 17-point deficit in the 1st Half and put up 30+ point quarters in the 3rd and 4th. That type of performance in the 2nd Half isn’t one we’ve seen a lot this season. DeMarc, Zach, and Vooch all scored 15+ points in the 2nd Half and even Ayo got himself into double figures in the 2nd Half. Finish games like this more often, please.
- Personally, I think 3-point shooting is the most important thing for this Bulls team to add. But if you told me it was rim protection, a point guard, length at the wing or something else I really wouldn’t disagree with you. Fred Vanvleet (though he might be Dallas-bound) and Bones Hyland would probably be my ideal targets. They can shoot the 3 and run the point either in the 2nd unit or bump Ayo out of the starting lineup to the 2nd unit where he’s probably at his best. Who or what is at the top of your wishlist for the Bulls at the deadline, let us know in the comments.
