Thursday night features multiple interconference showdowns, one of which is in FedExForum. There, at 8:10 p.m. EDT, the Chicago Bulls (24-27; 26-24-1 ATS) and Memphis Grizzlies (18-33; 24-27-0 ATS) will butt heads. These teams met in January, and the Bulls pulled out a 125-96 win. Will they do it again, or is Memphis going to get revenge?
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Chicago was staring down a 23-point deficit against the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves on Tuesday. They left home with a six-point overtime win. Coby White was sensational (33 points, 7 assists), as he continues to improve and step up for an injured Zach LaVine (out for the season). However, his contributions have only led the Bulls to the 22nd-best offensive rating. Chicago's strengths are the sixth-lowest turnover percentage and 10th-highest midrange shooting percentage. Otherwise, this team is 26th in true shooting percentage (bottom 10 at the rim and on three-pointers), 25th in free throw attempts per game, and 16th in offensive rebounding percentage. A star is budding, but the Bulls are still struggling to score.
Came back and grabbed the win. ??@Plus500 | #SeeRed pic.twitter.com/T9TAJYhNDp
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 7, 2024
On the other end, Chicago is 15th in defensive rating. Aided by a slow pace, they allow the 11th-fewest points per game. They force the eighth-most turnovers per game. Chicago is decent at forcing misses from all three scoring levels but allows the second-most three-point attempts per contest. The Bulls allow the 10th-fewest free throw attempts per game and rank 16th in defensive rebounding percentage. This Chicago team has been solid at getting stops, which has kept them in the play-in picture.