On March 31, the red-hot Chicago Bulls had an opportunity to see how they stacked up against the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. The Bulls 145-117 to the team with the association’s best record.
Chicago has since pulled off three straight wins against the NBA’s basement dwellers, the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, and Charlotte Hornets.
On Tuesday night, the Bulls are set to face the Cleveland Cavaliers, the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, at Rocket Arena. The Bulls will do so shorthanded.
The Chicago Bulls are resting against the Cavs
With the front office weighing $70 million in potential extensions of Coby White and Josh Giddey, their performance against the Thunder should have been taken as a sobering warning that more information was needed. Information that could have been gathered against Cleveland.
Instead White will miss the contest for a “rest day.”
Per K.C. Johnson, head coach Billy Donovan announced Nikola Vucevic and Giddey would not play the Cavs.
Nikola Vucevic and Josh Giddey are out vs. Cavaliers, per Donovan
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 8, 2025
The Bulls can use the excuse that Vucevic is battling a calf injury and Giddey has an arm injury, but the fact remains that the team’s best three starters are sitting out conveniently before a game that had the potential to bring shame to the organization if things went as they did in Oklahoma City.
The Bulls have an important matchup on Wednesday night
Apr 4, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan directs the team against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
One would expect Vucevic, White, and Giddey to return to action on Wednesday night when they host the Miami Heat. Chicago is waiving the white flag against the Cavs, a team they don’t match up well against, to save energy in the hopes of winning an important matchup against the Heat.
With four contests remaining in the regular season, the Bulls have a .5-game lead on Miami. They’re also one game back from the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 8 seed. Losing Tuesday night won’t help their chances of moving up, but saving their energy for Wednesday night could help Chicago host a home game in the Play-In Tournament.
The very fact the Bulls have to consider employing this strategy of resting against Cleveland is another reason the team should blow it up and rebuild.
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