There's never an opportune time to take on one of the better teams in the NBA, but a loss after nine consecutive victories shows the 24-11 New York Knicks are beatable. The Knicks entered 2025 winners of eight straight before knocking off the Utah Jazz to take the Oklahoma City Thunder, who had won 13 consecutive contests prior to a bout with New York.
Sans key reserve Miles McBride, who missed the game due to a hamstring injury, the Knicks lost 117-107 against the best team in the Western Conference. The Chicago Bulls are next up for New York following their first loss in nearly a month. Conversely, Chicago is coming off a defeat against one of the worst teams in the league after a mini, two-game winning streak—the Washington Wizards.
Nearly a perfect picture of health, only missing their fourth-leading scorer, guard Ayo Dosunmu, the Bulls looked out of whack in the Nation's Capital, losing the turnover battle 20-17 and converting on a mere 29.8 percent of their 47 three-point attempts. Chicago clearly missed Dosunmu, as evidenced by the lack of bench contributions. The Wizards outscored the Bulls' bench 58-33.
Will Ayo Dosunmu play tonight against the Knicks?
A week after it was reported that Dosunmu would miss at least 10 days, the Bulls have already ruled the 6-foot-5 guard out against the Knicks due to the calf strain he suffered on December 23. If the 10-day window is upheld, Dosunmu will be reevaluated on Tuesday, January 7, with a potential return slated for Wednesday, January 8, in a contest against the Indiana Pacers.
Without the Illinois product in the lineup, Chicago has gone 2-2, with losses coming against the Atlanta Hawks and the Wizards. Fortunately for the Bulls, as soon as Dosunmu was ruled out, combo guard Josh Giddey returned to the lineup after missing four games because of an ankle sprain.
Ayo Dosunmu and Torrey Craig remain out and didn’t practice, per Donovan. Everybody else practiced.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 3, 2025
Most recently, it was reported that Dosunmu had yet to return to the floor in any capacity. Ayo missed Friday's practice alongside veteran Torrey Craig, who's been dealing with a lower leg contusion. Besides Dosunmu and Craig, the rest of the roster is expected to take on the Knicks on "Derrick Rose Day."
Full injury report for Chicago Bulls vs New York Knicks
The complete injury report for tonight's game is as follows:
Chicago Bulls
Out: Ayo Dosunmu (Calf Strain).
Doubtful: Torrey Craig (Lower Left Leg Contusion).
New York Knicks
Out: Mitchell Robinson (Offseason Ankle Surgery).
Questionable: Miles McBride (Hamstring Strain).