For as sick as Bulls fans are of the two questions that permeate every discussion of the franchise (1. Can Derrick Rose stay healthy? 2. Where will the ancillary playmaking come from even if he does?), Magic fans must be tired around the same talking points around their team as well. Since Dwight Howard got what he wanted…and then didn’t want…and then did again…and extricated himself from Orlando, the Magic have built up the roster with young players, building a group that works hard and is very intriguing, yet one that hasn’t cemented their viability as a contender down the road. Esteemed rookies Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton have arrived, but the team’s slogan for the time being might as well be “The 2015 Magic: Like the 2014 Magic, except with a smidge of Ben Gordon!”
As for the Bulls, Joakim Noah is ill, and still clearly not all the way back to himself from his knee ailment, and has been declared out for tonight. That means Taj Gibson, returning from his ankle injury, will start. It also appears Derrick Rose will return from his ankle injuries. With four games in five nights, and the team’s best players not 100%, expect Aaron Brooks, Tony Snell and Nikola Mirotic to all factor in tonight.
The Magic are dealing with their own woes, as sophomore guard Victor Oladipo is still recovering from serious facial surgery after an elbow to the face. That leaves Payton to handle much of the ballhandling, and he’ll also use his defensive skills to hamper Rose on the other end, both elements of his game that he has received praise for even just a couple games into his career. Big man Kyle O’Quinn is out as well with an ankle injury.
Aside from an April win for the Bulls in which Orlando had essentially packed up shop for the summer, the two teams played each other rather evenly last year. The Magic snagged a one point win in Chicago before Christmas, which the Bulls avenged a month later, winning their triple overtime marathon that saw Oladipo play 57 minutes and Jimmy Butler a mind-boggling 60.
UPDATE: After a confusing few minutes, we learned that Rose would sit again tonight as a precaution with Kirk Hinrich starting in his place.
Starting lineups:
Magic (0-3): G Elfrid Payton, G Evan Fournier, F Tobias Harris, F/C Channing Frye, C Nikola Vucevic
Bulls (2-1): G Kirk Hinrich, G/F Jimmy Butler, F Mike Dunleavy, F/C Taj Gibson, C/F Pau Gasol
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