The Bulls suffered a narrow defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, 94-90. The game featured a total team effort from Chicago, with DeMar DeRozan scoring a team-high 35 points and the entire roster turning in a nice defensive effort.
Some uncharacteristic poor execution on the last Bulls' meaningful offensive possession did them in, with the Bucks escaping with a tight win over the shorthanded Bulls.
Chicago looks to bounce back against an Orlando team that currently has the worst team in the league at 8-39. The Bulls-Magic season series sits a 2-0 Bulls with one more matchup coming on February 1.
Generate open looks for Coby White
The Bulls young, dynamic scorer had a rough outing against the Bucks and as hard as it may be to accept, bad shooting nights will happen in the NBA. But Coby White is simply too talented of a player to have many nights in a row where he he will miss all of his 3-point attempts, let alone shoot 3-of-15 from the field.
White had just put up 16 points on 45% shooting in a win over Cleveland in the previous game. Luckily for Billy Donovan and Co., White is averaging over 18 points per game against the Magic this season.
Sunday night's game would be a great one to get White's shooting back on track.
Keep Orlando's bigs off the offensive glass
As Bulls fans know, Wendell Carter Jr. is a solid defender with a developing offensive game. His overall statistics may not blow one away, but his consistency is a key part of game.
In Orlando, Carter has upped his rebounding numbers to a career-high 10 rebounds per game and Mo Bamba is averaging a career-best 8 boards per game.
If Chicago wants to keep a poor-shooting Orlando squad from mucking up this game, then they need to keep them off the offensive glass. Second-chance points will play a large role in if the Magic can compete in Sunday's matchup.
Be aggressive in transition
Per Cleaningtheglass.com, Orlando is 28th in the league in points per 100 possessions in the halfcourt.
When Chicago goes to work in the halfcourt, they can generate good looks at-will with Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan, Orlando on the other hand, will rely on a bevy of young players who are still finding out what they do best at the NBA level.
This means the Bulls should have plenty of opportunities to run the fastbreak off of Orlando misses.
DeRozan, Ayo Dosunmu and Co. have to use their speed and finishing ability to punish the Magic for every lackluster offensive possession in the halfcourt.