Both the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls are working towards turning their early season struggles around and are looking towards the playoffs. The Nets currently sit in seventh in the Eastern Conference after a strong January while the Bulls are close to moving over .500 for the first time in over three months. Both teams would likely to head into the All-Star break with a win as they face off Thursday night.
Chicago is looking for their fourth win in five games. With Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah playing better and Carlos Boozer returning to the court, that seems possible against the Brooklyn Nets. The team had a strong performance on Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks. Noah put up a triple-double for the fourth time in his career while Gibson added another 24 points. The Bulls were able to put up a 50.6 shooting percentage despite averaging a 42.4 field-goal percentage.
The Bulls looked strong in their first matchup against Brooklyn. Noah averages 14.8 points in his first five meetings against the team. Gibson put up 20 points and eight rebounds in their win on Christmas Day. The Bulls limited the Nets to a season-low 35.2 shooting percentage. However, Brooklyn has turned things around in the calendar year and has put up a 51.4 shooting percentage in their last two wins.
The team is coming off a blowout win against Charlotte. Paul Pierce was one of five players in double figures as he recorded 25 points on 9-11 shooting. Deron Williams is slowly finding his shot. Against Chicago he has averaged 22.8 points in five games.
Brooklyn is establishing their identity as a defensive team. They have limited opponents to just 38.8 percent shooting in the past two games. Facing a Bulls team that only averages 92.3 points per game could allow that trend to continue.
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