Two days after taking part in the highest-scoring game of the NBA season, the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls will meet again in what will be both teams’ final matchup before Christmas.
Bulls’ health in ideal shape
The highest-scoring contest coincidentally featured a Bulls team at full strength. After being bitten by the injury bug in November, Chicago has since recovered to near-pristine health. The Bulls’ injury report ahead of their first showdown with Atlanta listed only four players—Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, Jalen Smith, and Noa Essengue. Of that group, Essengue was the lone absence and will remain out for the rest of the season. Dosunmu, White, and Smith all played against the Hawks.
This time around, Chicago’s injury report is down to one name—and, as you might expect, it’s Essengue. Despite lingering calf issues and a subsequent ankle sprain, White is good to go. And after dealing with two sprained thumbs, Dosunmu is off the report entirely.
Atlanta hampered by two key injuries
While the Hawks are in a similar spot, they do have some worrisome injuries. Chief among them is Atlanta’s prized offseason acquisition (though that distinction may now belong to Nickeil Alexander-Walker), Kristaps Porzingis, who is out for the foreseeable future while dealing with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a disorder of the autonomic nervous system. The 7-foot-3 big man has appeared in just 13 games this season and is not expected to return until at least the end of the month, with his status beyond that remaining uncertain.
In addition to Porzingis, starting guard Dyson Daniels is listed as out for Atlanta. The league’s reigning Most Improved Player nearly recorded a triple-double in the Hawks’ two-point loss to the Bulls on December 21, logging 39 minutes. He is now sidelined with right hip inflammation.
Full injury report for Chicago Bulls vs Atlanta Hawks
The complete injury report for tonight's game is as follows:
Chicago Bulls
Out: Noa Essengue (Left Shoulder Surgery).
Atlanta Hawks
Out: Dyson Daniels (Right Hip Inflammation), N'Faly Dante (Right Knee Torn ACL), Nikola Djurisic (G League Assignment), Mouhamed Gueye (Right Shoulder Sprain), Kristaps Porzingis (Illness).