The Chicago Bulls are coming off a pair of morale-boosting wins and enjoying a slowly clearing injury report, while the Atlanta Hawks have wandered in the other direction this week with back-to-back losses, the latest a drubbing at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.
Chicago will hope to carry its momentum and health into an afternoon road tilt against the Hawks, who have reason to believe they're about to play their best basketball since mid-November.
So which stars are guaranteed to play, which are on the fence heading toward tip-off, and which will miss out on a matchup between the ninth- and 10th-place teams in the Eastern Conference standings?
The Bulls are finally, mercifully getting healthy
The Bulls have been a who's who of walking wounded over the last few weeks. Kevin Huerter, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Tre Jones and Isaac Okoro have all missed time recently. Zach Collins is just getting lathered up after missing the first six weeks of the season.
But as Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times pointed out, head coach Billy Donovan had a mostly intact roster available for his team's 136-125 win over the sinking Cleveland Cavaliers two nights ago.
The "normal" five of Josh Giddey, White, Okoro, Matas Buzelis and Nikola Vucevic were on the floor to start the road win over the Cavs. Huerter (20 minutes), Jones (22), Collins (19), Smith (15) and Dosunmu (14) all contributed.
Dosunmu, playing with a minutes restriction, should be even more involved against Atlanta.
The Hawks are getting a super(star) assist
Say what you will about Trae Young, but there's no denying that the 27-year-old point guard remains a crucial part of an Atlanta squad proving it's capable of competing in this East this season.
Young missed 22 games after spraining his right MCL on Oct. 29. He returned to the Hawks lineup on Dec. 18, played 20 minutes and scored eight points to go with 10 assists in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets. He was held out against the Spurs on Friday night but is expected to play against the Bulls.
In Young's stead, Jalen Johnson has put his name squarely in the All-NBA conversation. The fifth-year wing is averaging 23.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.5 steals this season with shooting splits of 52/40/83. He has eight triple-doubles, including three in a row earlier this month.
Chicago Bulls at Atlanta Hawks Injury Report
The complete injury report for tonight's game is as follows:
Chicago Bulls
Out: Noa Essengue (shoulder, out for season)
Questionable: Coby White (ankle)
Probable: Ayo Dosunmu (thumb); Jalen Smith (quadriceps)
Atlanta Hawks
Out: Kristaps Porzingis (illness)