Jan. 16, 2026, 10:01 a.m. ET

The Brooklyn Nets (11-27) have been having a disappointing January thus far as it seems that the defensive side of the floor and the rebounding aspect of the game have gotten away from them. Brooklyn went 0-3 on their recent road trip, but they have a chance of facing the Chicago Bulls (19-21) at home and If you’re wondering how you can watch all the action live, you’ve come to the right place!

The Nets come into this game following a 116-113 loss at the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday in a game in which Brooklyn wasn’t able to close the game the way they were hoping to in order to win the game. Forward Michael Porter Jr. had 20 points and seven rebounds in a disappointing offensive performance while rookie Egor Demin had 17 points and five assists.

The Bulls enter this matchup after a 128-126 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday in which Chicago was able to close out an exciting back-and-forth with a huge victory as they seek to remain in the Eastern Conference Play-in Tournament race. Center Nikola Vucevic led the way for the Bulls with 35 points and seven rebounds while guard Ayo Dosunmu had 15 points and six assists off the bench.

The Lines, Courtesy Of BetMGMPoint-spread: Nets (-1.5)Money-line: Nets (-120)Over/Under: 227.5Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!Notable Injuries

Nets: OUT: Haywood Highsmith (knee), Ziaire Williams (return to competition conditioning), EJ Liddell (G League), and Ben Saraf (G League).

Bulls: OUT: Zach Collins (toe), Noa Essengue (shoulder), Josh Giddey (hamstring), Yuki Kawamura (G League), Emanuel Miller (G League), and Lachlan Olbrich (G League). QUESTIONABLE: Julian Phillips (wrist). PROBABLE: Kevin Huerter (hip).

Advice and Prediction

The Nets have not been playing the kind of defense in January that they were playing in December and that has led to them losing their last five games. As mentioned above, the road trip that took Brooklyn through the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, and New Orleans Pelicans showed that they not only have to get back to the defensive principles, but also work on their ability to close games.

The Bulls have been one of the more interesting teams in the NBA this season as they looked like a team that could turn a corner in the beginning of the year before coming back to earth as more of a play-in tournament level team. Time will tell if Chicago ever opts to undergo a full rebuild, but for the moment, they are still relying on Josh Giddey, Coby White, and Nikola Vucevic for production.

The Nets and Bulls rank in the bottom half of the league in terms of offensive rating and defensive rating, but it’s the pace at which these teams play at that separates them. Brooklyn plays at one of the slowest paces in the NBA while Chicago plays one of the fastest styles in the league so whoever can establish their pace will most likely win this matchup.

Prediction: Nets 115, Bulls 110