Well, here we are again. The Chicago Bulls are back in town. We all remember the exciting series that these teams put forth last spring, a five game stanza in which the Bucks provided some thrilling wins. Tonight will be their first matchup of 2015 and every bit of intensity should be resurrected.
photo: Mike DiNovo, USA Today Sports
The Bulls come into tonight’s game three spots behind the Cavaliers in the Central division at 20-12. They are also riding a four-game win streak, their last victory being two nights ago in a tough atmosphere at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre.
Jimmy Butler continues to not miss a beat on the offensive end. He torched the Raptors for 40 second half points, breaking Michael Jordan’s record for most points in a half. He will be a handful for Khris Middleton to defend, especially considering how hot he is.
The Bulls are also expecting Derrick Rose to return to action. He has missed the last three games with a sore right hamstring. However, his MRI on the knee showed no structural damage on Monday, leaving him hopeful for tonight’s action. Despite his seemingly setback season so far this year, Rose seemed to rediscover himself in last year’s playoff matchup against Milwaukee. It will be tantalizing to see how Michael Carter-Williams can play against his opponent.
As for the Bucks, they are coming off a disappointing blowout to the San Antonio Spurs. However, don’t take away too much for it. We all know the kind of basketball that the Spurs are capable of playing, and that’s exactly what they did last night. It was the NBA’s oldest team versus the youngest team. Those results didn’t surprise many people. The Bucks held with the Spurs for a while, but then Jerryd Bayless went down after aggravating his injured ankle. The mantra of the night seemed that the Bucks didn’t do too bad of a job, it’s just that the Spurs were better in every facet of the game.
It will be imperative for the Bucks to bounce back after suffering such a detrimental blowout loss. At this point of the year, they can’t let these types of performances define what kind of team they are. Look for a resurgent Bucks team tonight against the 1-94 rivalry.