GAME NIGHT FROM Washington, D.C.
Bulls: (19-35, 8-19 on the road) at Wizards: (18-33, 12-13 at home)
TV: NBCSC: Jason Benetti and Stacey King: 6PM CT
RADIO: 670 The Score. Chuck Swirsky, Bill Wennington, and David Schuster: 5:45 CT pre.
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: LaVine: 25 ppg. Wizards: Beal: 29 ppg.
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Felicio, LaVine, and Young each with 4. Wizards: Brown: 5 per.
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Satoransky: 5 per. Wizards: Beal: 6 per.
Season Series: Bulls 2-0.
It's the final game before the All-Star break for the Bulls as they attempt to snap a five-game losing streak against a Wizards team led by the great Bradley Beal. It will be a showdown between Beal and Zach LaVine, each having a tremendous season for their respective teams despite losing records. Beal is averaging 29 points per game; LaVine pouring in 25 per contest. Beal has managed to score 25 or more points in each of his last ten games.
LaVine was bypassed by USA Basketball as he was not among the 44 players named to the preliminary roster for the Olympic Games. Seriously?
Washington allows an opponent's league-high 120 points per game. They do manage to score 115 a game, so this should be an interesting matchup with plenty of opportunities for Bulls players to step up
Both teams have had their fair share of injuries and inconsistent play. The Bulls are hoping to get back some key players post All-Star break as the seventh and eighth seeds are very much in play in the Eastern Conference.
24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES:
Toronto 137, Minnesota 126: The red hot Raptors won their 15th straight-longest winning streak in Canadian professional sports history.
Milwaukee 123, Sacramento 111: Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the game celebrating the birth of his first child. Khris Middleton took over with a 28-11-8 game.
Utah 123, Dallas 119: What a great pickup by the Jazz as Jordan Clarkson has been ballin' since coming over from the Cavaliers. Clarkson with a 25-5-8 game.
Charlotte 87, Detroit 76: The Hornets snapped a five-game losing streak and have won ten straight over the Pistons. Detroit has lost nine of 11.
Brooklyn 106, Indiana 105: Spencer Dinwiddie's mid-range jump shot with five seconds left lifted the Nets over the Pacers. Indiana has lost six straight.
Orlando 135, Atlanta 126: The Magic hit a season-high 18-3 pointers.
Denver 127, San Antonio 120: The Spurs blew a 23 point lead. The Nuggets scored 74-second half points.
Miami 113, Golden State 101: Jimmy Butler returned to the Heat lineup for the first time in a week, scoring 21 points and 10 rebounds and 5 assists.
Los Angeles Lakers 125, Phoenix 100: The Lakers improved to 40-12. Rajon Rondo scored a season-high 23 points. The Suns have lost six of seven.
Thanks for reading CCI. Reach out: cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter @ctsbulls
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