The Chicago Bulls end their three-game road trip in the West with a tough matchup against league leaders Phoenix Suns.
The Bulls have lost two straight and seven of their last nine. As a result, they have dropped to fifth in the East, at 41-28. Chicago is 4.5 games below conference leaders Miami Heat (46-24).
The visitors are coming off defeats to the Sacramento Kings and the Utah Jazz, where they conceded 112 and 125 points, respectively. The Bulls have allowed more than 110 points in each of their last 12 defeats.
Alex Caruso, who recently returned from a wrist injury that cost him two months, said Chicago has to play with a sense of urgency.
“I don’t know if there’s a concern level. But the sense of urgency has to be there,” Caruso noted after the loss to Utah.
The Bulls aim to return to the winning track to maintain a top four push and avoid dropping further in the standings. They now are just two games above seventh-placed Toronto Raptors (39-30).
Chicago continues to play without Lonzo Ball, who has been out for seven weeks after having left knee surgery.
As head coach Billy Donovan told the media, including Hedgeout.net, afterwards, there is no setback in Ball’s recovery.
Yet, the team can’t get him to full speed. As a result, it is not likely he will be ready to return within the expected timetable (6-8 weeks).
Billy Donovan says @ZO2_ has no setbacks in his recovery, but the team can't get him to full speed Chicago is evaluating the situation and will decide on the next steps. Lonzo Ball is expected to miss more time than the original timetable (6-8 weeks)#BullsNation — Hedge_out (@hedge_out) March 19, 2022
On the other hand, the Suns continue to dominate the league and have already secured their place in the playoffs.
Currently at 56-14, Phoenix is on a three-game winning streak. The franchise needs four or five victories to clinch the top spot in the West.
Even without Chris Paul, the Suns keep winning games. Paul has already missed 12 games with a thumb injury, but Phoenix keeps rolling. The league leaders have won seven of their last nine.
During their three-game winning streak, the Suns have averaged 133.3 points offensively and have defeated their opponents by an average margin of 20.7 points.
Phoenix head coach Monty Williams said pregame that he wants to see several players step up in every game. That way, the veteran coach believes his team will not rely only on Paul and Devin Booker.
The Bulls and the Suns collide in early February, with Phoenix escaping with a 127-124 road victory.
Monty Williams wants tp see several @Suns players step up in every game. He says he doesn't want Phoenix to rely only on Chris Paul and Devin Booker#RallyTheValley — Hedge_out (@hedge_out) March 19, 2022
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