The Chicago Bulls and rebuilding Brooklyn Nets will face off for the first time this season. Despite fielding one of the youngest lineups in the league, the Nets are fresh off their fourth win of the season over a struggling Charlotte Hornets squad. The Nets are now 4-16 on the season and 13th in the Eastern Conference.
Let’s review what the Bulls can expect to see from this group at the United Center, as well as what they will need to do to snap their four-game losing streak.
What to Know Ahead of Bulls vs. Nets …
• Coming over in an offseason trade, Michael Porter Jr. has been the focal point of the Brooklyn offense. The oversized sharpshooter is putting together a career year, averaging 24.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. Fortunately for the Nets, his increased workload offensively has yet to impact his scoring efficiency. Porter Jr. is shooting a rock-solid 48.7 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from downtown on high volume. He also happens to be coming off his best game of the year against Charlotte. The six-foot-ten wing dropped 35 points behind a 7-11 shooting display behind the arc. Whether it be the Spurs or the Wizards, the Bulls have had some serious trouble slowing down the opposing team’s top player. Will that continue tonight?
• Speaking of which, it will be interesting to see who Billy Donovan chooses to chase Porter Jr. around. Matas Buzelis and Patrick Williams could switch off the assignment, as both provide the needed length. Having said that, the good news for Chicago is that Porter Jr. can struggle to play his size. Being physical with the 27-year-old and running him off the three-point line should work in this team’s favor.
• The Nets’ offense as a whole lacks creativity. They average the fewest points in the NBA (108.8) and shoot only 33.9 percent from downtown despite taking the sixth-highest number of threes per game. While they do a relatively decent job at getting to the free-throw line, it’s not as if they are some menacing downhill team that puts intense pressure on the interior defense. They average the fewest points in the paint per game, the fewest fastbreak points, and have recorded the second-lowest PACE this season. In other words, if the Bulls’ offense fails to look like the far superior unit tonight, they might as well end the season now.
Mar 13, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) dunks the ball on Chicago Bulls forward Julian Phillips (15) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images
• This is particularly true when we consider how bad the Nets have been on the defensive side of the ball. Only the Wizards have recorded a worse rating through 20 games, as opponents have shot a league-high 50.1 percent against this roster. They fail to turn the ball over much and have allowed roughly 17.0 fastbreak points a night. To make matters worse, they have also allowed the MOST points per 100 possessions in the halfcourt, per Cleaning the Glass. As long as the Bulls do not let this group dictate the pace of play, holding a lead shouldn’t be a challenge.
• The main area of concern for the Chicago Bulls is a familiar one. While Brooklyn is not a particularly stout rebounding team, they do have some strong and athletic bigs to throw at Nikola Vucevic. Nic Claxton remains one of the more underrated fives in the league, while Day’Ron Sharpe has put together one of his better seasons. Both grab at least 2.0 offensive rebounds per game. The Nets also have several players on the outside with great positional size. First-round pick Egor Demin has a Josh Giddey-like frame, while forwards Noah Clowney and Ziare Williams are both long and springy. At the end of the day, every team now has offensive rebounding near the top of their scouting report when facing Chicago.
• At the same time, the Bulls may finally have some help in the frontcourt. Jalen Smith has been upgraded to questionable, and the same goes for Zach Collins. The latter has yet to make his season debut. Dalen Terry has also been upgraded to questionable after missing the last handful of games with a knee injury. He may not be able to help box out bigger bodies like Claxton and Sharpe, but his seven-foot wingspan and hustle alone could come in handy on the boards.
• It does feel worth noting that the last time Claxton matched up with the Bulls’ bigs, he got the best of them. He dropped 18 points with 14 rebounds and 5 assists in last year’s March meeting. Vucevic played only 22 minutes in that performance as he worked his way back from injury, leaving Collins to play 25 minutes off the bench. The Bulls still walked away with the win, but it was a relatively tight 116-110 game.
• The Bulls need big performances from both Josh Giddey and Ayo Dosunmu. Both transition wizards, this is the kind of team they should be able to beat up on. Specifically against a player like Demin, who has a long way to go defensively, and a bunch of other inexperienced guards, this needs to be a game where you make your presence felt early.