GAME NIGHT FROM THE UNITED CENTER: Orlando (17-37, 7-18 on the road) at Bulls (22-31, 10-16 at home) 7PM.
RADIO: 670 The Score: Chuck Swirsky and Bill Wennington: 6:45pre. TV: NBCSC: Adam Amin and Stacey King. 7PM.
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: LaVine: 27ppg. Orlando: Ross: 15ppg. LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Vucevic: 11per. Orlando: Carter Jr. 8per. LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Satoransky: 5.1per Orlando: Carter-Williams: 4.3per.
SEASON SERIES: 1-1.
CCI PREVIEW: Both teams are looking snap losing streaks as the Bulls have dropped three straight, Orlando six in a row. After a promising start on the recent road trip, the Bulls return home to the United Center looking for consistency on both ends of the floor. One night the Bulls defense falters; on another, it's offensive struggles. Not taking any NBA team lightly is a must if you expect to develop winning habits and that's exactly what the focus should be as the Bulls face Magic, Grizzlies and Cavaliers at home over a four game span.
Nikola Vucevic will take on his former team for the first time in a Bulls uniform after nine glorious seasons with the Magic that produced two All-Star appearances in 591 total games. He is beloved by everyone connected with the Magic organization and the Bulls are extremely fortunate to have acquired him. I can see the Magic retiring his jersey after his career is over.
Orlando did some heavy lifting at the trade deadline dealing Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier. Coupled with season ending injuries to a number of key players, Orlando is doing its best to remain competitive for the rest of the season.
CCI NBA NEWS AND NOTES
Brooklyn 127, Minnesota 97. Kevin Durant scored 31 points in 27 minutes. The Nets played without James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns sat out the game.
Boston 116, Portland 115. The Celtics have won six of seven. Jayson Tatum had 32 points for Boston.
Phoenix 106, Miami 86. Cam Payne scored 14 points and dished out seven assists as the Suns bench scored 65 points.
Los Angeles Clippers 126, Indiana 115. LAC won its sixth straight. Paul George recorded his fourth straight 30+ game. As an opposing player, George is 4-0 against his former team at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Atlanta 107, Toronto 103. Clint Capela had 19 points and 21 rebounds. The Hawks were missing seven players.
Utah 106, Oklahoma City 96. Will the Thunder ever win another game? Lu Dort scored a career high 42 points for OKC.
Los Angeles Lakers 101, Charlotte 93. The Lakers finished their seven game road trip, 4-3.
A major blow to Denver's pursuit of an NBA title, as the team announced that guard Jamal Murray has been diagnosed with a torn ACL and will be out indefinitely.
Thanks for reading CCI. Reach out: cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter @ctsbulls.
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