After a week of four games against three playoff teams, the grind doesn’t get much easier for the Bulls leading up to Christmas. It was just a 1-3 record for Chicago last week, but I’d really only consider one game to be a “bad” performance, which was the battle with Denver. And, even that one wasn’t awful, to be completely honest. The Bulls just had some players on tired legs and missed an opportunity to take down the Nuggets without their two best players.
I thought the week kicked off with a great effort, albeit, another meh start against the Bucks. That said, any time you get the Bucks to overtime on the road, that has to be considered at least a decent performance. The Miami games were both pretty good outings, too. The first one was a fast start and the Bulls held on for a win. The latter was a slow start where they clawed back but lost on a gut-punch of a Jimmy Butler buzzer-beater.
Unfortunately with this team, wins might not be the most important thing. But, all in all, if we get similar efforts from Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Patrick Williams as we got last week it will be another win for the future of the franchise. Somewhat of a roster reset should be on the horizon, and the Bulls are going to need to get younger. If Coby, Ayo, and Patrick keep playing the way they have, then the front office can be confident that they have some pieces – and potentially building blocks – for a future core. Let’s keep rooting for that.
(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Meet the Opponents
12/18 at 76ers: Things don’t usually go well here, so buckle up!
12/20 vs Lakers: If we beat the In-Season Tournament champs, do we get to hang a banner?
12/21 vs Spurs: Wemby comes to town!
12/23 vs Cavaliers: Can the Bulls capitalize on a good team down two starters?
76ers: Joel Embiid QUESTIONABLE (hamstring), Marcus Morris Sr QUESTIONABLE (illness)
Lakers: D’Angelo Russell PROBABLE (head), Jarred Vanderbilt PROBABLE (back), LeBron James QUESTIONABLE (calf), Anthony Davis QUESTIONABLE (hip/groin), Christian Wood QUESTIONABLE (illness), Gabe Vincent OUT (knee), Jalen Hood-Schifino OUT (back)
Spurs: Charles Bassey OUT (knee)
Cavaliers: Darius Garland OUT (jaw), Evan Mobley OUT (knee), Ty Jerome OUT (ankle)
What to Watch For
Bulls: Well I covered it a bit above, but the thing to watch for this week (and in the coming weeks) is the continued growth and development of Coby White, Patrick Williams, and Ayo Dosunmu. Coby White’s playing at the level of a surefire starting point guard in the NBA as of late, and Williams and Dosunmu have played like legitimate winning NBA role players. That really needs to continue going forward. This week is another great test for them. How do they look against NBA title contenders? Do they let the Spurs game become a letdown spot or a trap game? Can they take advantage of a wounded Cavs team? There are some intriguing questions this week that I’m looking forward to seeing play out.
76ers: Philly has been really good and hasn’t missed a beat without James Harden. The key, as always, against the Sixers will be containing Joel Embiid which is always a tough matchup for the Bulls. I love Vooch, but he’s just not much of an answer for the reigning NBA MVP in the post. Embiid is questionable for Monday’s game, but I’ll just assume he’s playing. Outside of Embiid, Tyrese Maxey has been outstanding for Philly. His big year thus far has been a major reason why the Harden loss hasn’t caused a dropoff.
Lakers: I just want to know who actually is going to play in this one. The Lakers’ injury report is loaded with names and a whole lot of “questionable” designations. L.A. went all out to take home the In-Season tournament, but since then their lineups have been a bit of a guessing game every night. Will they be at full strength by the time they come to Chicago? Tonight’s lineup against the Knicks might go a long way in giving us a hint.
Spurs: San Antonio finally snapped their losing streak, putting it to an end at 18 games. They did it against a very light Lakers lineup that was missing LeBron and Anthony Davis. The Spurs then followed that up with a 22-point loss to the Clippers. This is a game that the Bulls should win, but it could easily become a trap game if the team overlooks San Antonio in the midst of a tough schedule stretch. Let’s not let that happen. Oh, and I can’t wait to see Wemby live at the UC on Thursday night!
Cavaliers: The Cavs are good, but they are wounded. They’ll be without two of their five normal starters when they come to town on Saturday night. Darius Garland will miss time with a broken jaw, and Evan Mobley suffered a knee injury that will keep him out for up to two months. Even without those two, however, the Cavs are still a dangerous team. Down those two starters, they just picked up an eight-point win over Atlanta. They still have Donovan Mitchell, who can get hot whenever. Max Strus is always dangerous from deep, too. This should be an opportunity for the Bulls to pick up a quality win at home, but it won’t come easy simply because Cleveland is down a couple of starters.
Matt is from the Chicagoland area and has been working in Chicago sports since 2015 with stops at WGN Radio, the Chicago Blackhawks, Stadium, and NBC Sports Chicago prior to landing at Betsperts. Matt covers just about everything for Betsperts and Bleacher Nation but focuses on the NHL and college football.
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