The Milwaukee Bucks sit 11th in the Eastern Conference standings and the Chicago Bulls 12th heading into a March 1 game at the United Center, but the two teams couldn't be on more different trajectories. Here's the injury report heading into today's contest, which comes with an early 2:30 p.m. CT tip-off.
The Bulls are riding an 11-game losing streak, the third-longest in franchise history. The roster was gutted at the trade deadline, and several players who arrived in Chicago only a few weeks ago are already sidelined due to various injuries.
Milwaukee, meanwhile, has had to endure most of the season without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks have understandably struggled without their superstar, but something has clicked recently as they're dragged back toward the postseason by a pair of young, electric guards.
Accidentally or on purpose, Bulls continue to play shorthanded
Coby White (Charlotte Hornets), Ayo Dosunmu (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Nikola Vucevic (Boston Celtics) now get to contribute to playoff contenders after being shipped out of the Windy City at the deadline.
Jaden Ivey, Anfernee Simons, Rob Dillingham and Collin Sexton headlined the returns for the Bulls, but Ivey and Simons are already glued to the bench for the foreseeable future.
Ivey is still dealing with knee soreness, which has quickly put a damper on the 24-year-old's potential future in Chicago, while Simons suffered a fractured left wrist.
Patrick Williams and Jalen Smith will both miss this afternoon's game, making an already light frontcourt even emptier.
There will be plenty of opportunities for young players like Dillingham and Leonard Miller to make an impact. Matas Buzelis will get to play again as the Bulls' featured scorer.
Bucks are getting healthy, and that includes Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee's injury list is quite light, and it will be getting even lighter soon.
Antetokounmpo is close to 100 percent, according to Bucks Head Coach Doc Rivers. He won't be available against the Bulls and may not be ready tomorrow (March 2) against the Celtics, but it won't be much longer until he returns to the floor, barring a setback.
The Bucks have turned a corner without the Greek Freak, though, and have won eight of their last 11 games behind the play of Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. During this stretch, Porter Jr. is averaging 20.8 points on 51.9 percent shooting from the field to go along with 5.5 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 2.5 steals.
Rollins, meanwhile, is scoring 20.4 points per game and shooting 48.4 percent from 3-point range on an average of 6.9 attempts.
Complete injury report for Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls
The full injury report for today's game is as follows:
Chicago Bulls
Out: Anfernee Simons (wrist); Jaden Ivey (knee); Patrick Williams (quadricep); Jalen Smith (calf); Zach Collins (toe); Noa Essengue (shoulder)
Milwaukee Bucks
Out: Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf); Taurean Prince (neck)