In what qualifies as a showdown in this year’s Eastern Conference, the 17-18 Bulls, holders of the 5 seed and, along with Denver, the league’s best winning streak having won five in a row, host the 16-19 Wizards, currently the 6 seed. The defense-centric Bulls (second in defensive rating, second to last in offensive rating) will face a team in Washington that is neither great nor terrible on either end of the floor, ranking 21st and 16th in those same categories.

Squint at this Wizards team and they don’t look too different than earlier iterations of the Derrick Rose Bulls. Obviously John Wall represents Rose’s doppelganger and Nene is their crafty, injury-prone, Noah-like anchor who can make up for their flaws as long as he’s healthy.  Bradley Beal provides a better version of the perimeter prowess displayed by Ben Gordon before he left Chicago and fell off the face of the planet, and Chicago fans scarred by the Vinny Del Negro era can surely empathize with Wizards fans in regards to their frustrations with coach Randy Wittman.

2014 has not been kind to the Wizards. Since sweeping a home-and-home with the Pistons to close out 2013, Washington is 2-5, with their wins coming against the used-to-be and soon-to-be Hornets, Charlotte and New Orleans. While both of those wins came on the road, those two teams are in slumps among the worst in the league for teams that are designed to actually win games. Conversely, the Bulls are riding the aforementioned winning streak, and thanks to a New Year’s Day loss to the Sixers by Denver, are left as the last team undefeated in 2014.

After home losses to Toronto and Orlando, and then back-to-back drubbings in Houston and Oklahoma City, the playoff aspirations of the players inside the Bulls locker room looked to be on life support, but even after the Luol Deng trade, this team has an identity and has one of the most stable locker rooms in the league. As Joakim Noah reiterated when he finally broke his silence upon Deng’s departure, this team is devoted to both giving every ounce of effort and winning. With Jimmy Butler back after his thigh injury, and the interior tandem of Noah and Taj Gibson, we know they’ll bring the effort tonight, and if the recent body of work of both teams is be trusted, the winning looks like a good bet to follow.

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from nils.rowher | Flickr

The Bulls displayed some much-needed resilience Tuesday night and will look to rack up a seventh victory in nine games as their mini-resurgence gathers pace.

They travel the short distance north on the I94 to face the Milwaukee Bucks. A win in Milwaukee paired with Washington losing on the road in Indianapolis would result in the Bulls storming to the dizzying highs of the fifth seed in the hideously weak Eastern Conference.

Tuesday’s win against a surging Suns was not as surprising as it perhaps would have been for another team. The Bulls under Thibodeau have shown a remarkable ability to regroup and recover from losses both on the court and on the physician’s table.

While Chicago’s season has been gut-punch after gut-punch with Rose lost for the season and Deng’s trade to Cleveland, Milwaukee’s season has been more like the pain you feel peeling off a band-aid: slow, lingering and unpleasant. Owner Herb Kohl proclaimed at the start of the season how he didn’t want the Bucks to tank, preferring annual first-round playoff exits over the pain of losing to get better.

All it takes is a quick glance at Milwaukee’s 7-27 record this season to see how misguided Kohl’s desire was. The Bucks’ seven wins are three behind the next-worst team and their .206 win percentage would be the worst mark in franchise history.

While part of this malaise is the Bucks’ roster genetics playing out, their woeful record would be somewhat better had they been able to utilize what is a semi-decent core of young players. Ersan Ilyasova has been poor this season, shooting a shocking 18.5 percent from deep and is now playing with his a wrap on his right hand.

Larry Sanders, the big man the Bucks pinned their long-term hopes to with a big contract despite the troubling lack of consistency in his output, missed the first 25 games of this season, returning to the starting lineup five games ago after severing a thumb ligament in a nightclub brawl in November.

Add to that poor play from the veterans and a trove of developing rookies lead by bloggers’ favorite Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have inadvertently created the most efficient tank job since the Bobcats lost 59 of 66 games in the lockout shortened 2011-12 season.

As if this weren’t enough, Sanders and veteran guard Gary Neal reportedly got into it in the locker room last week with Neal questioning Sanders’ work ethic after yet another Bucks loss.

This game, going on current form, should not be a problem for Chicago however the Bulls have shown a worrisome trend to struggle against some of the NBA’s worst teams with losses to Utah, Cleveland, Orlando and the Bucks themselves in Chicago.

Key Matchup: Joakim Noah vs Larry Sanders

Joakim Noah used the hurt of losing Luol Deng, a close personal friend as well as team-mate, to power his game and the Bulls to Tuesday’s victory over Phoenix. He will have his hands full again with the freakishly long frontcourt Milwaukee boasts, primarily with Larry Sanders.

Probable Starters

Chicago Bulls (15-18, 2nd in Central, 6th in East)

C- Joakim Noah: 7th season. 11.0 points per game, 10.3 rebounds per game.

PF- Carlos Boozer: 12th season. 14.7 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game.

SF- Mike Dunleavy: 12th season. 10.7 points per game, 3.9 rebounds per game.

SG- Jimmy Butler: 3rd season. 12.2 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game.

PG- Kirk Hinrich: 11th season. 7.8 points per game, 4.7 assists per game.

Milwaukee Bucks (7-27, 5th in Central, 15th in East)

C- Larry Sanders: 4th season. 8.8 points per game, 7.4 rebounds per game.

PF- Ersan Ilyasova: 6th season. 8.9 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game.

SF- Giannis Antetokounmpo: 1st season. 6.8 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game.

SG- Brandon Knight: 2nd season. 15.2 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per game.

PG- Luke Ridnour: 11th season. 7.2 points per game, 3.8 assists per game.

Injury Report:

Chicago Bulls:

Carlos Boozer (Probable); Joakim Noah (Probable); Mike Dunleavy (Probable); Derrick Rose (Out).

Milwaukee Bucks: Ersan Ilyasova (Questionable); John Henson (Questionable); Zaza Pachulia (Out); Carlos Delfino (Out).

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Flickr | ENOUGH Project

The Bulls begin to move on from the longest-tenured player on the roster and the fourth leading scorer in team history Tuesday night as they host the explosive Suns in Chicago.

After finally achieving some semblance of health, the Bulls managed to string together their best stretch since mid November, winning 5 of 7 and vaulting themselves back into the bottom half of the East’s sorry excuse of a playoff chase, the front office finally deciding to pull the plug in earnest, trading Luol Deng to Cleveland in exchange for Andrew Bynum (already waived), a Kings first round pick (protected until 2017, when it becomes a second rounder),  Portland’s second round picks in 2015 and 2016, and the right to swap first rounders with Cleveland in 2015 (if Cleveland’s pick falls out of the lottery). What is potentially a mighty haul is also potentially nothing, if the Cavs and Kings do what the Cavs and Kings do and fail to make the playoffs. Two second rounders is next to nothing in exchange for the fourth leading scorer in franchise history.

That aside, the Bulls have a game to play tonight, and a challenging one at that. Having not beaten a team currently over .500 since dismantling the Heat in early December, the Bulls, once again shorthanded with only nine active players (ten if Boozer plays), stand on a precipice. Rumors are flying about the availability of Kirk Hinrich, and one would have to assume that everyone aside from Butler, Rose and possibly Noah is there to be had as the Bulls try to rebuild on the fly. Will Tom Thibodeau allow his team to lose like this, to roll over and die? If not, it’s possible this season is last.

Despite losing Eric Bledsoe for an extended period, the Phoenix Suns stand at 7th in the Western Conference, a remarkable feat given how hard they appeared to set themselves up to tank this past offseason. With a young team full of unproven talent and a new head coach in Jeff Hornacek, the Suns have bolted out to third place in the Pacific division, only recently succumbing to the healthy and improving Golden State Warriors. It’s the sort of model the Bulls would have you believe they want to follow, cutting costs and getting younger on the fly while staying in the thick of things. Robert Sarver’s cheapness aside, that doesn’t seem to be something the Bulls FO is capable of.

Probable Starters

Chicago Bulls (14-18, 2nd in Central, 6th in East)

C- Joakim Noah: 7th season. 10.9 points per game, 10.1 rebounds per game.

PF- Taj Gibson: 5th season. 11.9 points per game, 6.4 rebounds per game.

SF- Mike Dunleavy: 12th season. 10.8 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game.

SG- Jimmy Butler: 3rd season. 12.2 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game.

PG- Kirk Hinrich: 11th season. 7.8 points per game, 4.7 assists per game.

Phoenix Suns (20-12, 3rd in Pacific, 7th in West)

C- Miles Plumlee: 2nd season. 9.9 points per game, 9.2 rebounds per game.

PF- Channing Frye: 8th season. 11.4 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game.

SF- P.J. Tucker: 3rd season. 10.8 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game.

SG- Gerald Green: 7th season. 13.4 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game.

PG- Goran Dragic: 6th season. 18.8 points per game, 5.9 assists per game.

Key Matchup: Jimmy Butler vs Gerald Green

Suddenly, Jimmy Butler is THE swingman for this team. His first night under the spotlight pits him against the strangely resurgent Gerald Green, three point marksman and super athlete. If he can win that matchup, the Bulls might stand a shot at beating their first “good” opponent in a calendar month (sorry, Hawks).

The post Game #33 – Chicago Bulls vs Phoenix Suns: Renunciation Remains Sorrow appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

If two Eastern Conference teams not named Miami or Indiana play while an NFL playoff game is on, does it make a sound?

Either way, tonight the Bulls play host to the Atlanta Hawks, who after another pectoral injury to Al Horford are now forced to face a second recent season without their best player, a feeling the Bulls know all too well. Speaking of injuries, just as the Bulls got their normal crew back together in the lineup, Carlos Boozer will miss his first game of the season with a knee injury. That means we’ll see a Hinrich-Butler-Deng-Gibson-Noah starting lineup and likely heavy minutes for that group, as Gibson starting means Tom Thibodeau won’t be able to stagger his big man minutes as he usually does. Unless Taj plays all 48 (don’t rule it out…), either Erik Murphy will see rotation minutes or Thibs will resort to a tactic he rarely deploys: going small with Deng at power forward.

This the third of four consecutive home games for Chicago, with only a road game in the Bulls-friendly confines of Milwaukee before another pair of home games. Meanwhile, Atlanta played last night at home and lost a heartbreaker, giving up a last second three pointer to Andre Iguodala and falling by a single point to the red-hot Warriors. The Hawks started out 2-0 on second legs of a back-to-back, but have gone 0-5 since. The last three losses have come in Washington, New York and Boston, all teams with similar resumés as Chicago, so even without Boozer, this looks to be a very winnable game for the Bulls against Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap and company.

The matchup that will decide this game though is between players traded for each other: Atlanta’s record-setting shooter Kyle Korver against the Bulls’ Traded Player Exception. Sigh. Enjoy the game everybody, whichever one it may be.

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Flickr | Scott McLeod

Coming off of their best offensive performance of the year, the Bulls visit Brooklyn on Christmas in a game everyone involved hopes isn’t just a giant lump of coal.

Losers of 7 of 10 and 11 of 15 since the Derrick Rose injury, the Bulls have gone from a touted contender in the Eastern Conference to being a game out of the playoff picture. In the Eastern Conference. Since apparently everyone (Deng, Butler, Hinrich) is questionable and I’m writing this just after midnight on Christmas Day, I’m not entirely sure what to expect from this game other than it being bad. It is entirely possible that this is the first game all season in which the Bulls are actually less of a sad, ruined mess than their opponents (the exception being the Knicks, of course). After mortgaging pretty much the entirety of the next half decade to win now, the Nets sit at 9-18, tied with the Knicks for 10th in the East. They’ve been playing better relatively over the last couple weeks, but after losing Brook Lopez to a broken foot this past Friday and after getting absolutely dismantled by the Pacers, they’re not exactly in a good place. Kevin Garnett seems to be at the end of his rope, Joe Johnson is still shockingly overpaid, Paul Pierce is losing his mind, Andrei Kirilenko is hurt, Deron Williams is marginalized, and, worst of all, Jason Kidd seems to have no idea what he’s doing. Really not much more to say than this. Remember that weirdly competitive seven game series these two teams had seven months ago? These two teams are not those two teams. This game is not going to be fun.

Probable Starters

Chicago Bulls (10-16, 3rd in Central, 9th in East)

C- Joakim Noah: 7th season. 10.6 points per game, 9.9 rebounds per game.

PF- Carlos Boozer: 12th season. 14.9 points per game, 9.1 rebounds per game.

SF- I Dunno LOL.

SG- See Forward, Small.

PG- See Guard, Shooting.

Brooklyn Nets (9-18, T-4th in Atlantic, T-10th in East)

C- Kevin Garnett: 19th season. 6.7 points per game, 7.1 rebounds per game.

PF- Mirza Teletovic: 2nd season. 6.7 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game.

SF- Alan Anderson: 5th season. 8.5 points per game, 2.7 rebounds per game.

SG- Joe Johnson: 13th season. 16.5 points per game, 2.8 assists per game.

PG- Deron Williams: 9th season. 12.5 points per game, 7.6 assists per game.

Key Matchup(s)

Me vs. Alcohol.

It’ll be a struggle, but if I can avoid getting blackout drunk in misery before halftime, I might be able to write something cogent on this giant turd of a game. I’ll have to come out strong to avoid temptation and play great man defense on my better judgement to carve out the small advantage I’ll need to avoid sleeping through the later games, three of which might be decent.

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The Bulls continued their struggles last night, getting blitzed by the Rockets by 15 in Houston. The Thunder come in to tonight’s game off of a day off following Tuesday’s double-digit road win in Denver against the Nuggets. Oklahoma City has the league’s 4th best defense, which should make this game an absolute nightmare for the Bulls woeful offense. Chicago comes in to tonight’s game routinely struggling to crack the 80 point barrier. Last night, the Bulls had a bit better go of it, scoring 93 points (but only 101.7 points per 100 possessions). That, though, was against the Rockets, who have Dwight Howard, sure, but they struggle to stay disciplined as a team defense and have weak individual defenders outside of Dwight and Patrick Beverley.

The Bulls since Rose’s injury have a Net Rating of -7.7 points per 100 possessions, while the Thunder have a +7.9 Net Rating for the season. Given that the Bulls are on the second night of a back to back and on the road, it’d be shocking if they were able to keep this one within 10 points. Then again, the last time I made a bold prognostication like that, the Bulls came out and blew the doors off of the Heat. I wouldn’t count on that happening again tonight.

The post Game #25 Preview: Bulls at Thunder appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Both squads in tonight’s game are big market teams battling injuries and deflecting rampant trade rumors, yet their respective trajectories could not be more opposite. The Rockets are 16-9, and look poised to add a couple rotation players via trade, while Chicago is essentially dead in the water, and possibly content with treading it for now.

In the obligatory Bulls injury update, Kirk Hinrich is out again tonight with his back injury. That means the dynamic duo of D.J. Augustin and Marquis Teague will be tasked with protecting the ball from defensive pest Patrick Beverley. Meanwhile, for Houston, James Harden will give it a go on a bad ankle but Jeremy Lin and rumored Celtic-to-be Omer Asik will sit this one with injuries of their own.

On the heels of Monday’s home loss to Orlando in which Luol Deng missed a game-tying layup, Tom Thibodeau vowed to have his team going back to basics and focus on said shots in practice. However, it may not matter much against Houston and Dwight Howard. Even Derrick Rose had a hard time evading the self-described Adonis, so none of the current Chicago perimeter players figure to have much success against him tonight, and whatever the odds are for number of rejected Carlos Boozer up-and-unders, take the over.

Now, from the perspective of a growing number of Bulls fans, all of these things are good in the long-term. With the second end of a back-to-back in Oklahoma City, the Bulls could “improve” to 9-16 and climb up the tanking charts. However, Houston is one of the most inconsistent contenders and who knows how Harden’s shifty game will be hampered by his ankle, so if the Bulls were to split these next two games, tonight is certainly their best shot at doing so.

The post Bulls vs Rockets: The Beat Goes On appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Chicago has gone through the stages since Rose went down in Portland several weeks ago.

There was a blowout loss in Los Angeles while the team and the fanbase refused to accept the idea Rose was gone for the year. Anger arrived with the news of Derrick’s torn meniscus, fans fumed at the perceived unfairness of yet another lost season especially in what was billed as ‘the year’ for this core to make its championship run.

Bargaining came in the form of hoping Rose might return earlier than next season. That didn’t last as the team announced he was shelved for the remainder. Depression has continued, however, with a loss to one of the worst teams in the NBA in Utah and a meek home loss to Detroit. That barren run was punctuated by a morale-lifting win against the Heat.

The boost didn’t last long as another home defeat against Milwaukee sent this team to a new low and a third sub-80 point performance in New York confirmed the scale of the problem.

Now comes acceptance.

Mike Dunleavy sunk a game-winning three to rescue a win from the brink of defeat in Milwaukee Friday night. Yet again, the Bulls struggled to score points against another contender for the number one pick in the draft in June.

Joakim Noah has been inconsistent most of the season as he nurses injuries but picked the Bulls up off the deck by tying up Gary Neal to force a jump-ball that led to Dunleavy’s banked winner.

Tonight the Bulls head back home to host the Toronto Raptors. Toronto comes into the United Center with a very different rotation than they had just three weeks ago. Rudy Gay, Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy were all sent south to Sacramento in return for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes.

The trade ultimately got Rudy Gay’s bloated salary off the deck and brought in another competent point guard in Vasquez. GM Masai Ujiri has now traded away Gay and Andrea Bargnani’s combined $60 million in owed salary while bringing in multiple future draft picks and assets that can be flipped again before the deadline for yet more picks or salary flexibility.

Kyle Lowry still runs the show exceptionally well north of the border but expect his name to continue to appear in trade gossip columns now the Raptors have a surplus of point guards on the roster. Practically anyone not named Jonas can be had at the right price of expiring deals and future assets.

Amir Johnson detonated on the Lakers in Kobe’s return game last week, pouring in 32 points on a variety of post moves and mid-range shots while also pulling down 10 rebounds in a frightening display of all-round ability. DeMar DeRozan added 26 points himself in his first game freed from the ‘your-turn-my-turn’ offense he and Gay shared.

Toronto comes to Chicago on the back of a 108-100 win at home against Philadelphia, though they are embracing tanking for the top pick this summer. DeRozan scored 27 and Terrence Ross had 24 including the game-icing three pointer in the final minute that let Toronto pull out the victory.

The post Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors Preview: The Five Stages of Grief appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Flickr | mechanikat

The Bulls, losers of 7 of their last 10, host the Milwaukee Bucks, losers of 8 of their last 10, in a Central Division Suckfest Tuesday night. The first of two meetings this week and the first on the season between these rivals, the Bulls having split their two meetings with the Pacers, Cavs and Pistons thus far. Aside from Mike Dunleavy facing his former team, there isn’t a whole lot to track narratively. Aside, of course, from the now running gag that is the Bulls’ injury issues. Joakim Noah will miss tonight’s game with a knee contusion, as will Luol Deng with his leg injury. That leaves Carlos Boozer as the only returning starter from opening night, which was ONLY SIX WEEKS AGO. The season is a little over a fifth of the way through, and this team is already running on reserves of reserves. Erik Murphy expects to see some time tonight without Noah, as will Nazr Mohammed. Neither of them exactly inspires confidence, though Nazr’s defensive on/off numbers are interesting, I suppose. With only 9 active players (one of whom is Mike James), recent reports have linked the Bulls to the recently waived D.J. Augustin, the 9th overall pick in the 2009 draft and former backup point guard in both Indiana and Toronto. The good news is that he’s a point guard who isn’t Mike James, the bad news that he’s another “shooter who can’t shoot,” which will hardly cure what ails this team.

Can confirm @WojYahooNBA report about Bulls/DJ Augustin…multiple sources expect him to sign with Bulls if he clears waivers tomorrow

— Aggrey Sam (@CSNBullsInsider) December 10, 2013

On the Bucks side, they’ve shown a marked and consistent commitment to tanking, best exemplified by their own “injury issues” and the fact that they employ Gary Neal. With only ten active players of their own, the Bucks look to be playing tank Chess where everyone else is playing tank Checkers. Local product and folk hero Caron Butler is out for at least another week with a knee injury, Zaza Pachulia is out with a broken foot, and the aforementioned Gary Neal has missed time as of late.

While the game is not likely to be a well-played one, there is cause for intrigue. Marquis Teague will look to build off of back to back not terrible performances, Taj Gibson will start again in place of Deng and the young Bucks (Nate Wolters, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Khris Middleton) will see heavy minutes, which should help break things up a bit. At least Drew Gooden is gone.

Probable Starters

Chicago Bulls (8-10, 3rd in Central, 8th in East)

C: Nazr Mohammed, 16th season. 1.3 points, 2.6 rebounds per game.

PF: Carlos Boozer, 12th season. 15.6 points, 8.7 rebounds per game.

SF: Taj Gibson, 5th season. 12.4 points, 6.7 rebounds per game. (Update: Mike Dunleavy will start)

SG: Tony Snell, 1st season. 5.5 points, 1.5 rebounds per game.

PG: Kirk Hinrich, 11th season. 8.6 points, 5.1 assists per game.

Milwaukee Bucks (4-16, 5th in Central, 15th in East)

C: John Henson, 2nd season. 11.3 points, 7.0 rebounds per game.

PF: Ersan Ilyasova, 6th season. 8.8 points, 4.9 rebounds per game.

SF: Khris Middleton, 2nd season. 11.3 points, 3.9 rebounds per game.

SG: O.J. Mayo, 6th season. 15.3 points, 2.8 assists per game.

PG: Brandon Knight, 3rd season. 10.3 points, 4.3 assists per game.

Key Matchup: Tony Snell vs O.J. Mayo

Mayo is, like many players considered “pure scorers,” not as good as his reputation would dictate. That being said, he got out to a lightning start last season with Dallas and could drop 25-30 without much provocation. Aside from Boozer, who’s had his issues against teams that aren’t the Miami Heat this season, the Bulls don’t really have anyone who can do that. Deng was filling in admirably, but he’s not here. Neither is Jimmy Butler. D.J. Augustin is not the answer. We just have to hope the Thibs Defense can grind opponents into submission, but shooting is important. Tony Snell is still among active Bulls in True Shooting, ranking right behind Mike Dunleavy, so a big shooting night from him would go a long way towards avoiding perhaps the most embarrassing loss this team could suffer.

The post Game #19: Chicago Bulls vs Milwaukee Bucks Preview- A Temper That Never Tires appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

How much can one win change the short-term course of a team?

That’s the answer the Bulls will provide as they tackle the Detroit Pistons two days after taking down the two-time defending champion Miami Heat.

The victory Thursday night was the kind of grinding, bruising and emotional win the Bulls sorely needed having had perhaps the worst ten day stretch in recent franchise history. Losing six of their last seven games and Derrick Rose for the season (and Jimmy Butler for a few weeks) had the Bulls entering Thursday’s game looking for something – anything – to at least rescue some semblance of momentum in the face of another ‘lost’ season.

With the Miami victory firmly in the bag thanks to the Bulls returning to dominating on the glass and on the defensive end and Joakim Noah rediscovering his energizer bunny mode, Chicago welcomes the Pistons to the United Center ready to win back-to-back games for the first time since beating the Pacers and Bobcats in mid-November.

Overshadowing the post-Miami glow is the announcement that Luol Deng is suffering from an as-yet-undefined leg injury. Noah mentioned to the press after shootaround Saturday Luol had a sore Achilles’ tendon while coach Thibodeau addressed the media shortly after, claiming a ‘tight and sore’ calf. Deng remains a game-time decision tonight.

Deng’s absence would be a massive blow for the Bulls looking to prove they can tread water without Rose. Deng has scored 20 points or more in each of the last six games, the longest streak of his career, and is shooting better than 50 percent since Rose was lost.

If Deng can’t go, Tony Snell and Mike Dunleavy would likely split his minutes between them. Dunleavy has been largely inconsistent since arriving in Chicago while Tony Snell has overcome a tough start and Thibodeau’s noted redshirting of Jimmy Butler and Marquis Teague. Snell defended LeBron James well in spells on Thursday and has shown his shooting touch from beyond the arc.

The Pistons come into the game having lost 14 straight games to the Bulls in Chicago and 19 of the last 20 contests overall. Though they, like the Bulls, used dominant rebounding and sound defense to down the Heat on the road on Tuesday evening. The Pistons have won three consecutive games to sit 9-10 after a dispiriting 6-10 start as head coach Maurice Cheeks struggled with a suitable rotation.

Detroit boasts three high-caliber frontcourt behemoths in Greg Monroe, Andre Drummond and Josh Smith. In their win over Milwaukee Wednesday night, Monroe, Drummond and Smith combined for 59 points and 42 rebounds, one more board than their opponents managed as a team.

Joakim Noah will have his hands full on both ends, likely tasked with defending whichever of the trio gets off to a hot start. Carlos Boozer will be asked to up his game defensively and the Bulls will face a battle on the boards, an area in which victory could hold the keys to the game.

The Bulls beat the Pistons 99-79 in Detroit on November 27th. Luol Deng posted 27 points and six rebounds while Taj Gibson added a career-high 23 points to go with eight boards as the Bulls shot 53.2 percent from the field (including 6-17 from three) while holding the Pistons to just 44.2 percent shooting and 2-16 from deep.

The Pistons also shot just 9-19 from the free-throw line, their starting five was just 2-9.

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