The Nets and Bulls are each looking to prevent a third straight loss as they meet for the second time this season Monday in Chicago.
Brooklyn took a 120-112 victory in the Nov. 1 meeting, led by 32 points and four assists from Cam Thomas. Nikola Vucevic had a double-double for the Bulls that night, recording 28 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
Brooklyn is coming off two consecutive losses at home to the Magic, falling 123-100 on Friday and 100-92 on Sunday. Prior to that, the Nets had won three games in a row, all on the West Coast.
Friday’s attempt against Orlando was an indictment of the Nets offense and doubly so of their starting five. Cameron Johnson scored 14 points and Jalen Wilson scored 11, but they were the only two Nets starters to reach double figures. Shake Milton led the Nets with 22 points off the bench while Trendon Watford and Keon Johnson each added 13 and 15, respectively, to anchor the second unit. But it wasn’t enough to overcome the starters’ shortcomings.
Sunday was better for the Nets starters as Dennis Schroder reentered the fold, contributing 20 points to help Johnson’s 26-point performance. It still ended in an eight-point loss, pushing the Nets three games below .500. Still, Schroder’s return was welcome news to his teammates.
“He’s very important,” Wilson said. “You know, head of the snake. Been that guy the entire year. Whether he’s getting downhill finding us or getting downhill 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 Friday to defending champion Boston — though the game was tied through three quarters before Chicago collapsed in the fourth. Vucevic led the Bulls with 32 points and 11 rebounds while Zach LaVine added 29 points, but 35 points from Jayson Tatum and 29 from Payton Pritchard off the Celtics’ bench served to offset that effort.
Chicago’s first of their consecutive losses, like the Nets, came against the Magic. The Bulls fell 133-119 in Orlando on Wednesday to a Magic team that has won six games in a row. The loss came despite the Bulls getting 20 points from Talen Horton-Tucker on 7-of-8 shooting off the bench. Coach Billy Donovan showed concern for his team’s communication on defense following the loss.
“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.”
