The TNT Bulls Are Back … But Can They Keep the Streak Alive?
For the first time in over half a decade, the most dominant team in sports will return to the court.
That’s right, the TNT Bulls are back, baby! For those who may be unfamiliar with the phenomenon, let me refresh your memory with some help from 670 The Score’s Cody Westerlund.
With a 93-82 victory over the 76ers back in February of 2013, the Chicago Bulls tipped off a legendary streak. The victory marked the first of 20-straight at the United Center when playing live on TNT. This streak spanned five seasons, but it’s been on hold ever since the Bulls began their initial rebuild after the Three-Alphas era.
If you’re thinking: Wait, the Bulls played on TNT just last week? Let me again stress that this only includes HOME games. With that being the case, despite a couple of TNT performances the past two years, tonight’s battle with the Bucks will mark the Bulls’ first chance to extend their streak since the 2016-17 season.
Here’s a look at every game that has factored into the streak. Shoutout to Cody for being an absolute gem and keeping this on everyone’s radar during its hiatus!
If the Chicago Bulls want any chance at keeping this fan-favorite streak alive, they better hope the basketball gods intervene. This will arguably be the TNT Bulls’ toughest challenge yet, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks sit 2nd in the Eastern Conference with the NBA’s 2nd-best defense.
Not to mention, the Bulls are about to play severely undermanned, as DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, Derrick Jones Jr., and Goran Dragic have already been ruled out with injuries. Chicago does – shockingly – happen to be 2-0 against the Bucks this season, but they’ve also been playing some of their worst basketball of the year during this five-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks are currently on an 11-game win streak and on the brink of becoming just the fifth team in NBA history to take a 12-game winning streak into the All-Star break, per ESPN Stats & Info. So if being the only team to take down the TNT Bulls in nearly a decade wasn’t enough motivation, the Greek Freak will have that on his bulletin board tonight.
Let’s do this!
