The Nets and Bulls are both aiming to avoid a third straight loss as they play each other for the second time this season on Monday in Chicago.
Brooklyn won 120-112 in the first meeting on November 1, led by Cam Thomas with 32 points and four assists. Nikola Vucevic had a double-double for the Bulls, with 28 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
The Nets are coming off two consecutive losses to the Magic at home, losing 123-100 on Friday and 100-92 on Sunday. Before these losses, Brooklyn had won three straight games, all on the West Coast.
In Friday’s game against Orlando, the Nets’ offense struggled, and their starting five did not perform well. Cameron Johnson scored 14 points, and Jalen Wilson added 11, but they were the only starters in double figures.
Shake Milton led the Nets with 22 points off the bench, while Trendon Watford and Keon Johnson each scored 13 and 15 points, respectively. However, it wasn’t enough to make up for the lack of production from the starting lineup.
Sunday’s game was better for the Nets starters, with Dennis Schroder returning to the lineup and scoring 20 points, helping Johnson score 26. Despite this, they lost by eight points, dropping the Nets to three games below .500. Still, Schroder’s return was positive for the team.
“He’s very important,” said Jalen Wilson. “You know, head of the snake. Been that guy the entire year. Whether he’s getting downhill finding us or creating his own shot, all the different things he does. He’s very important to how we play and to our team. Even if he’s not here, we still have to step up and have his back, but (he’s) definitely somebody that we always lean on.”
The Bulls are coming off a 138-129 loss at home to the defending champion Boston Celtics on Friday. The game was tied after three quarters, but Chicago struggled in the fourth quarter. Vucevic led the Bulls with 32 points and 11 rebounds, while Zach LaVine added 29 points. However, 35 points from Jayson Tatum and 29 points from Payton Pritchard off the Celtics’ bench were too much for the Bulls to handle.
Like the Nets, Chicago’s first loss in their losing streak came against the Magic, as they fell 133-119 in Orlando on Wednesday. Despite a strong performance from Talen Horton-Tucker, who scored 20 points off the bench, the Bulls couldn’t stop Orlando’s six-game winning streak. After the loss, Coach Billy Donovan expressed concern about his team’s communication on defense.
“We’ve got to be a better-talking team,” Donovan said. “It’s hard to play defense if you’re not gonna talk. In particular, when there’s screening actions and multiple players coming together inside of actions because these players are smart.
“There’s a lot of things that go on and there’s got to be a higher level of communication. We go through our scouting reports and we’re walking through stuff, but it’s just totally different than when the game’s going on. We all have got to do a better job there.”
