The Spurs will be in Chicago to face a Bulls team that picked up a win on Tuesday against the Thunder and is set to complete their back-to-back. DeMar DeRozan will remain out for the Spurs as he continues to mourn the passing of his father.
The funeral was held on Sunday, and he may need some time. No rush at all. Some things are more important than work.
The Spurs did pick up a win in their last game to get to 20-16 for the season. This is a unit that looks very much like what they put out there two years ago.
As a low seed, the Spurs nearly upset the Nuggets in the opening round of the playoffs, falling in seven games. And this has the makings of a group ready to make some big noise in the postseason.
Chicago got to 18-20 with their last win, and it was doubly big when you consider that New York and Boston both took losses. It will need to be a steady climb for them if they want to get to the playoffs without going through the play-in. Indiana is currently the final eligible team at the No. 10 spot, as 7-8 and 9-10 will go head-to-head in the play-in.
ODDS:
The home Bulls are 1.5-point favorites. The over/under is set at 227.5 points.
Spurs Look to Make it a Streak
With LaMarcus Aldridge now done as a Spur, Jakob Poeltl is now the team’s full-time starting center. He signed an extension last summer and has played well throughout the year.
Aldridge has been a serviceable rebounder, screen-setter, and rim protector. He can’t shoot the ball to save his life, but he’s solid around the basket on the offensive end, still.
Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson have continued their ascent this year, while Lonnie Walker IV has been proving himself as a sniper, regardless of he gets the starting nod.
The bench is full of veterans like Rudy Gay, Trey Lyles, and Patty Mills. The team has questions to answer on all three of them at next week’s deadline.
DeRozan has been terrific when on the floor and a big reason for the success.
Bulls Seek 19th Win
At 18-20, the Bulls have proven this year to be a solid bunch. They recently made two starting lineup changes, adding Tomas Satoransky and Thad Young in place of Wendell Carter Jr. and Coby White. They have won both of their games, though the quality of opponent wasn’t as high as what they will face tonight.
Zach LaVine dropped 40 points in three quarters against Oklahoma City on Tuesday and could easily have gone for 50 if he got more playing time. Of all the scoring milestones he’s had this year, scoring 50 has not yet been accomplished for him. He would have been the second player (Damian Lillard) to drop that many that day.
The bench will need to pack some punch, and Lauri Markkanen will need to continue to do his thing to win here.
Bulls Win
Sorry San Antonio, but this is a Bulls win. Big day for LaVine.
FREE PLAY: Bulls -1.5
OVER/UNDER: Over 227.5
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