NEWSLETTER
BULLS BACK.
The Chicago Bulls will resume action tonight against the Charlotte Hornets at the United Center after a four-day break. Still, it will be a slow ramp-up for Billy Donovan’s crew, who have only four games over the next nine days and only eight left in 2025.
A perfect time to get healthy!
- The expectation is that Patrick Williams will return to the court tonight after a 10-game absence. Donovan already informed reporters that Williams will play under a minutes restriction, which could also mean bringing him in off the bench. While it’s more likely than not that Williams returns to the starting lineup at some point this month, I wouldn’t necessarily be surprised if Billy Donovan makes him work for it. We can all agree the forward has been off to an underwhelming start this year, and the Bulls have some other young forwards they can lean on.
- Considering Arturas Karnisovas labeled re-establishing home-court advantage as one of his priorities this season, I’m keeping an extra close eye on this United Center record. Drum roll, please! *drum kit falls apart the moment it’s hit* The Bulls are 3-9 in Chicago this season and 7-6 on the road. Not great, Arturas.
- The Hornets come into this evening’s matchup with a 7-17 record and a -5.6 net rating (26th). While they’ve shown some fun flashes, this is still a roster that has a lot of growing up to do. Charlotte’s offense relies a lot on isolation basketball and turns the ball over quite a bit (16.2 TOVs per game). They’re still in the very early stages of trying to establish an identity under new head coach Charles Lee, and it’s made for some up-and-down performances. Especially with LaMelo Ball recently dealing with a calf strain, the Hornets have really struggled to find any sort of rhythm and are 2-8 in their last 10 games.
- Unfortunately, LaMelo has already been ruled out for this evening’s matchup. This game was circled on the calendar as potentially our first LaMelo vs. Lonzo battle since Nov. 29, 2021. The drought will now continue until at least Dec. 30 when these two meet again in Charlotte.
- LaMelo or no LaMelo, the Bulls aren’t in a position to take any team lightly. Need I remind you of their loss to the Lauri Markkanen-less Jazz earlier this season? This group has long tended to play up or down to their competition, and Charlotte still has several young and energetic pieces that can make them pay for that tendency. Brandon Miller, in particular, is the type of talent that normally gives this Bulls team serious problems at the wing. He’s a dynamic second-year forward averaging 22.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. Miller has chucked up at least 12 threes in four of the last five games, so running him off the perimeter will be key.
- Speaking of which, the Hornets live behind the arc. They take 43.1 attempts from long range every. night, which is third in the league behind only the Celtics and Bulls. While the Bulls have shot a lot better on their high volume this season, it still speaks to the fact that this game could turn into a low-defensive intensity shootout.
- Wholesome Content Alert! Nikola Vucevic invited some of The Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago to go shopping for the holidays. The big man may not be known for having a particularly lively personality, but I’ve consistently heard that he’s a very kind and generous person behind the scenes.
- Several young Bulls players reportedly joined a sold-out crowd for the HUGE Kenwood vs. Simeon game this week.
- EJ Liddell is making his presence felt in the G League. His few short stints on the NBA floor this season have left a lot to be desired, but I still really like his two-way potential. Excited to see how the rest of this season goes.
- Justin Steele remains one of the Cubs’ top pitchers, so is it time to think about an extension? Michael thinks so.
- HUGE BLACKHAWKS NEWS! The team has officially called up Frank Nazar. Unleash the youngsters!
- Patrick took a closer look at how the Chicago Bears stack up against a blitz-heavy Minnesota Vikings defense. Give that a read here.
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