A look at the most intriguing Chicago Bulls games for fans here in the 2022-23 NBA season
The Chicago Bulls will begin their 57th season after last season’s appearance in the playoffs looking to have their first back to back appearances since 2014-15 . Here are the games that you should be interested in watching or attending:
Cleveland Cavaliers (October 22 in Chicago, December 31 in Chicago, January 2 at Cleveland, and February 11 at Cleveland)
The Cavaliers were one of the surprise teams last season racing out to a 31-16 record to start the season however the team struggled after losing center Jarett Allen on March 6 to an injury to his finger and went 7-12 without him.
This offseason to add more talent to the roster, the team acquired All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz to make themselves into a serious playoff contender in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls have four matchups with the Cavs this season and these matchups will probably determine playoff seeding for both teams in the Eastern Conference.
Milwaukee Bucks (November 23 at Milwaukee, December 28 in Chicago, February 16 in Chicago on TNT and April 5 in Chicago on ESPN)
Last season, the Bucks beat the Bulls eight out of nine games last season including in the first round of the playoffs. The average margin of defeat in those games last season was 17 points. If the Bulls hope to be a serious contender, they will need to have a better showing against their rivals from Wisconsin.
Philadelphia 76ers (October 29 in Chicago on NBA TV, January 6 at Philadelphia on ESPN, March 20 at Philadelphia and March 22 in Chicago)
In the last 5 years, the 76ers have won the 2nd most regular-season games in the NBA (Milwaukee is 1st) yet this team has not reached the Eastern Conference finals and has had some epic playoff failures. The Bulls have struggled against this team and have won only one game in the regular season vs this team since 2018. If the Bulls can get some wins vs 76ers this year, it would be good indicator that the Bulls can compete with the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Brooklyn Nets (November 1 at Brooklyn, January 4 in Chicago, February 9 in Brooklyn and February 23 in Chicago)
Behind all of the drama, trade demands, refusal to play and just overall dysfunction the Nets are a talented team. The Nets could possibly play Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry and Joe Harris at the same time! That lineup is a great combination of ball handling, shooting, and defense that not many teams can match. Last year this team was 36-19 when Durant played and 8-19 when he did not. If Durant is healthy for 60 plus games, that would be one more team that could take a playoff spot from the Bulls.
Minnesota Timberwolves (December 18 at Minnesota and March 17 in Chicago)
The Timberwolves traded for center Rudy Gobert this summer and will pair him with seven-footer Karl Anthony-Towns and they will form one of the most unique Twin Tower pairings in the history of the NBA. The Bulls were rumored to be one of the teams that was interested in trading for the former defensive player of the year but the Timberwolves traded a boatload of assets to make the deal with the Jazz.
Bulls fans will watch this game wondering if general manager Arturas Karnisovas missed a chance to make the Bulls title contenders with a trade for Gobert.
Golden State Warriors (December 2 at Golden State on ESPN and January 15 in Chicago)
When the Bulls went to San Francisco to play the Warriors last year on their annual November West Coast road trip, it was a matchup of two teams who had the best record in their respective conferences. The game would be a good barometer to see if the Bulls were ready to contend with Steph Curry and company. Well……. the Bulls lost by 26 points and quickly Bulls fans had to realize that the rebuilt Bulls were not quite ready for primetime. Could the outcome this year be different for the Bulls versus the defending NBA champions?
Indiana Pacers (October 26 in Chicago, January 24 at Indiana, February 15 at Indiana and March 5 in Chicago)
The Pacers do not make this list because they are a playoff contender actually, they are quite the opposite. The Pacers are looking to tank so that they can get a high draft in this upcoming loaded 2023 NBA Draft. The Pacers two most tradeable players are guard Buddy Hield and center Myles Turner. Turner has been in trade rumors since the beginning of the NBA it seems and the Bulls could be a possible destination for the 6’10 center.
The NBA trade deadline is February 9 so the games after the deadline could be games where possibly Turner is in Bulls red and white and Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (the most likely Bulls player to be dealt for Turner) could be in Pacers gold and blue.
San Antonio Spurs (October 28 at San Antonio and February 6 in Chicago)
The Spurs are another team that is tanking to get more chances at obtaining a high draft pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. The allure of these two games is that this maybe the last time the Bulls fans see coach Gregg Popovich on a NBA sideline. Popovich, the all-time leader in wins and winner of 5 NBA championships will turn 74 during this season and his current contract ends at the end of the year. If you are a lover of the game and its history, you will value watching one of the greatest coaches in NBA history ever pace the sidelines for possibly the last time.
It should be a great season of basketball at the Madhouse on Madison! Follow me on Twitter at nicksanders@chicitysports.com.
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