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Chicago Bulls Preseason Game No. 4: Pregame Notes vs. New Orleans

By Michael Whitlow

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The Chicago Bulls are off to a nice 2-1 start in the preseason under new head coach Fred Hoiberg. On Monday night, their defense will be tested against Chicago native Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans. Here are some pregame notes on the match-up.

Last week, the Chicago Bulls got their eight-game preseason slate off to a good start with wins against Milwaukee and Minnesota this past Saturday night. In their 2-1 start, the Bulls have averaged 104.3 points, while taking an astounding 33 three-point attempts per game.

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On Monday, the focus will most likely be on the defense as the Bulls hit the halfway mark in their preseason schedule. The Bulls will host cyborg and Perspectives Charter graduate Anthony Davis and the new-look New Orleans Pelicans.

The Bulls took both meetings in the regular season against New Orleans last year. Davis took a nasty fall off an alley-oop dunk in the second meeting that caused him to miss a bulk of the game and the next two after last February. In the first meeting, Davis was electric, scoring 29 points and pulling down 11 rebounds in a 107-100 Bulls win.

Here are some pregame notes for tonight’s meeting:

Projected starting lineup for the Bulls

Taj Gibson to return soon?

Not only will the Bulls most likely be getting back Joakim Noah in their frontcourt this week, Taj Gibson could be returning to the fray soon as well.

Derrick Rose update

As for Bulls superstar point guard Derrick Rose, he returned to the practice floor on Monday, but only as a spectator.

Rose had facial surgery on Sept. 30 after taking an elbow to the face in practice, and the Bulls later placed a two-week timetable for his return. This Wednesday will mark exactly two weeks since Rose’s surgery. This past weekend, pictures surfaced from the birthday party of Rose’s son, P.J. The eye looks like it’s in much better shape, but there’s still some swelling.

From Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg after today’s shootaround (via K.C. Johnson):

"“He still isn’t able to do anything as far as court work. Hopefully, he’ll get clearance in the next couple days to at least get a sweat going and getting a little bit of running,” Hoiberg said. “It will help to get him out here running. Different guys learn different ways. I think it’s very important once we get him back to show him and be able to run (the offense) first-hand to get the timing right. But he’s able to pick it up quick. It’s a lot of the same things we were doing, just adding on different wrinkles and different options. From Derrick’s standpoint, the biggest thing is just getting out of the house. He was getting such cabin fever. The opportunity for him to get back in here is very important.”"

Tip-off between the Bulls and Pelicans is set for 7:00 PM CT at United Center.

Next: A look at Derrick Rose's eye after facial surgery

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