{"id":541418,"date":"2026-01-16T21:15:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T21:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/541418\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T21:15:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T21:15:19","slug":"nets-vs-bulls-preview-friday-night-in-brooklyn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/541418\/","title":{"rendered":"Nets vs. Bulls preview: Friday night in Brooklyn"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CHICAGO,<\/a><\/p>\n

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 02: Matas Buzelis #14 of the Chicago Bulls dribbles the ball during the second half against the Orlando Magic at the United Center on January 2, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

Nothing doing in the win column. The Brooklyn Nets went to New Orleans to face the Pelicans on Wednesday night to wrap up their three game road trip. It was close, but the Nets ultimately fell short <\/a>by three points. The L was their fifth in a row.<\/p>\n

The opponent tonight is hanging around the play-in. The Chicago Bulls are tenth in the Eastern Conference standings and look like they have another date with the play-in tournament this year. They helped their cause with a last second win <\/a>against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

YES Network on TV. Gotham Sports on streaming. WFAN on radio. Tip after 7:30 PM.<\/p>\n

No Ziaire Williams (illness) or Haywood Highsmith (surgery recovery). Ben Saraf remains on Long Island as does two-way E.J. Liddell.<\/p>\n

The following players are out for the Bulls:<\/p>\n

Zach CollinsJosh GiddeyNoa Essengue<\/p>\n

Kevin Huerter is probable and Julian Phillips is questionable.<\/p>\n

Brooklyn won the first <\/a>meeting in December.<\/p>\n

This is a home-and-home set. These teams will do it again Sunday evening in Chicago.<\/p>\n

Brooklyn will see an old nemesis at center tonight. Nikola Vucevic has given the Nets troubles over the year, but only shot 6-18 from the field in the first matchup back in December. For Nic Claxton and the Nets bigs, they\u2019ll look to make things difficult for Vuc in the paint and force him into tough jumpers. If they can do that, they\u2019ll make things a lot more difficult for Billy Donovan\u2019s club.<\/p>\n

The Nets have consistently had a turnover problem this season as they are ranked 29th in turnover rate. Fortunately for them, the Bulls don\u2019t force many turnovers as they are 29th in opponent\u2019s turnover rate. Every coach stresses the importance of making the most out of every possession, and it\u2019s something Jordi Fernandez will put extra emphasis on tonight.<\/p>\n

If Brooklyn is successful, they can make a living on the inside. The Bulls allow 31 shots per game inside the restricted area, most in the NBA this season. Drives to the cup open up a bevy of opportunities, and for someone like Cam Thomas in particular, it can get him back on the right track. It\u2019s been a bit rocky since Thomas returned from a hamstring injury and getting to the cup is when he\u2019s at his most dynamic.<\/p>\n

Player to watch: Matas Buzeli<\/p>\n

For the Bulls, they\u2019ve got to figure out a real path forward. That means identifying players that can help them make it back to the playoffs and not just their annual play-in appearance. They\u2019ve got a long way to go, but they\u2019ve got somebody who is worth keeping an eye on. From Drew Stevens of The Bigs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cBuzelis is learning the subtleties of a team built on shared responsibility. Flagg is Dallas\u2019s fulcrum, creating opportunities even when the outcome isn\u2019t perfect. Mistakes come with responsibility \u2014 and that\u2019s the point.<\/p>\n

But the Bulls\u2019 system allows Buzelis to translate lessons into growth and consistent production.<\/p>\n

The last six games have shown what the 21-year-old can do with more responsibility, He\u2019s scoring consistently, making smart reads and producing in the paint while also stretching the floor when opportunities arise. It\u2019s growth that\u2019s quiet but dependable.\u201c<\/p>\n

The ballots are in, and Michael Porter Jr is hoping he did enough to earn his first All-Star nomination. MPJ has done everything asked of him this season and then some. Porter Jr tuned the Bulls up to the tune of 33 points the first time around, and he\u2019ll look to see if he can put forth another great performance. He went 4-5 at the rim in that game, and if the Nets can create good looks for him at the cup, MPJ will make the most of it.<\/p>\n

And ones in the air for Aaliyah<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 02: Matas Buzelis #14 of the Chicago Bulls dribbles the ball during the second…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":541419,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3767],"tags":[7,670,247,3803,6,671,19734],"class_list":{"0":"post-541418","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn-nets","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-brooklyn","10":"tag-brooklyn-nets","11":"tag-brooklynnets","12":"tag-nba","13":"tag-nets","14":"tag-nets-game-previews"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=541418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/541419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=541418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=541418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=541418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}