There continues to be movement surrounding the Chicago Bulls‘ upcoming schedule in the midst of all of the absences for this team due to the league’s health and safety protocol. The Bulls already had their next two games pushed due to all of the absences they’re facing right now.
Second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls were set to miss more than half of their rotation if they actually played their Dec. 14 game against the Detroit Pistons. The Bulls were up to 10 players absent in the league’s health and safety protocol early this week after power forward Alize Johnson entered it on Dec. 13.
After the Bulls had their next two games this week postponed by the NBA due to all of the players in the health and safety protocol, this left their next outing to come on Dec. 19. The next game up on the docket now for the Bulls is set to come on Dec. 19 at home at the United Center against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Chicago Bulls will face Lakers at night now on Dec. 19
Sunday’s home game vs. the Lakers is being moved from 2:30 pm tip to night game, per sources. Gives Bulls bit more time to get right and also hold AM shootaround if they choose.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) December 14, 2021
Bulls have back-to-back set and face Rockets at home on Monday.
The tip-off time between the Bulls and Lakers on Dec. 19, though, was originally supposed to occur at 2:30 p.m. CT. But the NBA has pushed the tip-off time back to the night of Dec. 19 to give the Bulls more time to get back and ready to go after what will be a lengthy hiatus between outings.
But there is also the prospect that the Bulls are playing in back-to-back games on Dec. 19 and 20. The Bulls are first set to face the Lakers now on the night of Dec. 19. And then, they are set to take on the Houston Rockets at home in the back end of these back-to-back games on Dec. 20.
Pushing the tip-off time between the Bulls and Lakers back on Dec. 19 will give a shorter amount of rest time before tip-off on Dec. 20 against the Rockets to round out these back-to-back games.
Donovan and the Bulls are set to carry a record of 17-10 into their Dec. 19 meeting with the Lakers. Meanwhile, the Lakers are going through some issues themselves with the league’s health and safety protocol as they currently sit with a record of 15-13.