If last week was supposed to present a slight break in the Chicago Bulls’ schedule after a brutal start to the season, consider this week a big ramp back up.
The Bulls had games against the previously winless Jazz and the struggling Hawks, as well as matchups against the Timberwolves and Mavericks in between. While the latter two squads were Western Conference finalists last season, they’ve gotten out of the gates not quite at full speed.
Chicago took that softer spot in the schedule and went just 1-3. They allowed 135 points twice, scored fewer than 100 points once, and gifted the 0-6 Jazz (at the time) their first win of the season with Lauri Markkanen not even in the lineup. Not great!
This week, Chicago gets two games against the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers – one at home and one on the road. They’ll also go to New York and take on Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks – granted, they too are off to a slow start at just 4-5 on the year thus far. Then, they’ll wrap up the week at home against the Houston Rockets, who figure to be in playoff contention in the West all season.
Essentially, last week’s bump in the road has a chance to turn into a full-blown pothole this week.
The positive way to look at this week would be that Zach LaVine is back, and he surely gave the Bulls a boost in their win over Atlanta on Saturday. LaVine’s return put Ayo Dosunmu back in his normal spot coming off the bench, and the young guard also had one of his best games of the season with 19 points on 7-10 shooting.
Also, the Bulls are just a weird team. They’re every bit as capable of laying an egg and losing to a shorthanded, winless Jazz team as they are erasing big deficits and beating the Grizzlies or Magic. So whether you look at this week in a positive light or with some pessimism, I probably wouldn’t say you were wrong. It’s four more games for Chicago this week. The fun starts tonight against the 11-0 Cavs at the United Center!
Meet the Bulls’ Opponents
- 11/11 vs Cavaliers: The Bulls began last week handing the 0-6 Jazz their first win. Can they give the undefeated Cavs their first loss????
- 11/13 at Knicks: Bulls vs Knicks at MSG always feels special.
- 11/15 at Cavaliers: What’s better than one matchup against the best team in the NBA? TWO!
- 11/17 vs Rockets: A great example of what a well-executed rebuild looks like comes to town.
Bulls Projected Lineup
- Coby White
- Josh Giddey
- Zach LaVine
- Patrick Williams
- Nikola Vucevic
Opponent Projected Lineup
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Darius Garland
- Donovan Mitchell
- Dean Wade
- Evan Mobley
- Jarrett Allen
New York Knicks
- Jalen Brunson
- Mikal Bridges
- Josh Hart
- OG Anunoby
- Karl-Anthony Towns
Houston Rockets
- Fred VanVleet
- Jalen Green
- Dillon Brooks
- Jabari Smith Jr.
- Alperen Sengun
Unavailable/Injured (at the start of the week)
- Bulls: Zach LaVine PROBABLE (illness/thigh), Jalen Smith QUESTIONABLE (illness), Lonzo Ball OUT (wrist)
- Cavaliers: Max Strus OUT (hip), Emoni Bates OUT (knee)
- Knicks: Cam Payne QUESTIONABLE (hamstring), Precious Achiuwa OUT (hamstring), Kevin McCullar Jr. QUESTIONABLE (knee), Mitchell Robinson QUESTIONABLE (knee)
- Rockets: Steven Adams QUESTIONABLE (knee)
What to Watch For
- Bulls: There seems to be a bug going around the Bulls locker room, so that might be something to keep an eye on. Josh Giddey didn’t miss time but was on the injury report last week with an illness. Jalen Smith is now listed as questionable to begin the week with the same ailment. Hopefully, Smith can still take the floor on Monday, but it’s not the most opportune stretch for a locker room bug to pop up. Cleveland is going to be a tough test for this group defensively which has struggled mightily at times. Let’s look for some progress on the defensive end and continued commitment to playing fast and getting more three-pointers up.
- Cavaliers: Cleveland has been the best team in the NBA in 2024. They’re a perfect 11-0. They lead the NBA in points per game scoring 122.7 a night while also being the 12th-best defensive team, allowing only 110.2 points per contest. Eleven straight wins with an average win margin of more than 12 points per game is … not bad! The coaching change from JB Bickerstaff to Kenny Atkinson is paying dividends early on.
- Knicks: The Knicks made some big offseason changes and it feels like they’re still getting used to each other. They’re 4-5 right now, but they’re a better team than that record and too talented to not figure it out. Thibs’ teams can be a little slow out of the gate, especially with some new pieces getting into the swing of things. But I feel like by the end of the season, they’ll be playing their best basketball. Having said that, seeing them early on in the year is probably a good thing.
- Rockets: The Bulls are just beginning a rebuild or a re-tool or whatever they want to call it, and they have the chance to get a great look at how to execute one on Sunday. The Rockets come into town at 6-4 with a great young core and a head coach who knows how to develop and win. This year feels like when they break back into the playoffs. They’ve already beaten three postseason teams from last year – the Thunder, Mavericks, and Pelicans. If the Bulls are looking for a rebuild model, just take a look at the opposition on Sunday night.