GAME DAY FROM THE UNITED CENTER
Washington( 42-34, 20-17 on the road) at Bulls ( 25-51, 15-22 at home)
TV: NBC Sports Chicago: Neil Funk and Stacey King: 2:30 CT tipoff
RADIO: AM 560 Chuck Swirsky, Bill Wennington, Steve Kashul. 2: 15 CT pre.
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: Markkanen: 14 ppg. Wizards: Beal: 22 ppg. Bulls: Markkanen: 14LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Markkanen: 7 Wizards: Gortat: 7LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Grant: 4. Wizards: Wall: 9
SEASON SERIES: Washington 2-0.
LAST MEETING: At United Center, February 10: Wizards 101 Bulls 90. Satoransky with 25 points ( 10-12 field goals)
CCI 24 SECONDS COMMENTARY: The Wizards clinched a playoff spot with a victory over the Hornets on Saturday. The Wizards currently are in the sixth seed in the EC. John Wall saw his first action in two months and produced 15 points and dished out 14 assists. Anyone who even remotely believes Washington is a better team without him on the floor needs to have his hoops DNA checked . Wall is an elite player and is a game changer. Those type of players are few and far between. He will not play today. All Star Bradley Beal is averaging 23 per game against the Bulls.
The Bulls are coming off a win over the Magic as Head Coach Fred Hoiberg’s team is showcasing some it’s young talent in the final weeks of the season. Cam Payne, Noah Vonleh and Cristiano Felicio are making the most of their opportunity. Vonleh is averaging 12 rebounds a game over the past three and Felicio bagged a career high 16 rebounds game against Orlando.
Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine remain out for the Bulls.
NBA NEWS AND NOTES
Boston 110 Toronto 99. Marcus Morris did it all for the Celtics scoring 25 points, grabbing nine rebounds and then getting ejected!
Washington 107 Charlotte 93. John Wall returned back after missing two months with a knee injury and made a statement scoring 15 points and dishing out 14 assists. The Wizards clinched a playoff spot.
Detroit 115 NY 109 The Pistons have won four straight games. Andre Drummond’s stat sheet is blowing up with a 22 points 17 rebounds game.
Brooklyn 110 Miami 109 OT. After the game, Miami’s Hassan Whiteside went off saying he’s not getting enough minutes.
Golden State 112 Sacramento 96. Patrick McCaw was carried off the court on a stretcher after a scary fall. He will undergo more testing today. Klay Thompson played after missing eight games with a broken right thumb. Vince Carter became the 10th player in NBA history to play in 1400 NBA games.
San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard saga continues with the news he’s back in NY to rehab his injured quad.
Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid underwent surgery to repair an orbital fracture near the left eye.
The Lakers’ Brandon Ingram has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol.
Thanks for reading CCI. E mail me at cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter: @ctsbulls
Always a pleasure!