Neither team is quite where we expected them to be in early March, but the Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors will face each other tonight (March 10) in an inter-conference matchup nonetheless. What are the injury statuses of key players such as Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green?
The Bulls are where fans hoped they would be at this point in the season. Sort of.
Executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas finally caved and blew up the roster at the trade deadline, dealing away his team's most valuable assets for mostly expiring contracts and draft picks. Unfortunately, he waited too long, and no matter how much Chicago loses over the final month of the year, it won't end up in the top 8 of the draft lottery standings.
The Warriors, meanwhile, find themselves in an unfamiliar spot as a .500 team treading water in play-in territory. There's a chance they join the Bulls in the back half of the lottery on draft night.
Will the names on the injury report swing tonight's game, or will we see a ho-hum Golden State victory?
Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey probable to face the Warriors
The Bulls have two major priorities as the season winds down: Lose games and let Matas Buzelis cook.
The 21-year-old is the closest thing Chicago has to a franchise player, and after dealing away Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and Nikola Vucevic, Buzelis has thrived.
Since Feb. 3, the Chicago native has averaged 17.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.9 blocks while shooting 38.0 percent from three on nearly eight attempts per game. Buzelis needs as many developmental minutes as possible, and it looks like he'll get some more tonight in Golden State.
Giddey's had an up-and-down stretch since returning from a hamstring injury, but it would be nice for the Bulls if he found his stride heading into the summer.
The Warriors have an all-too-familiar injury list
Steph Curry will be on the bench again for Golden State while he deals with a lingering knee injury. It might be better for the Warriors to shut him down for the rest of the year rather than put more miles on the 37-year-old with no championship push coming.
Draymond Green and De'Anthony Melton are questionable for Golden State, which will also be without Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Seth Curry.
Full injury report for Chicago Bulls at Golden State Warriors
The complete injury report for tonight's game is as follows:
Chicago Bulls
Out: Noa Essengue (shoulder); Zach Collins (toe); Jaden Ivey (knee); Anfernee Simons (wrist)
Questionable: Collin Sexton (lower leg); Patrick Williams (ankle)
Probable: Josh Giddey (ankle); Matas Buzelis (ankle); Jalen Smith (calf)
Golden State Warriors
Out: Stephen Curry (knee); Jimmy Butler (knee surgery); Seth Curry (back/injury management); Moses Moody (wrist)
Questionable: Draymond Green (back/injury management); De'Anthony Melton (adductor); Quinten Post (foot)
Probable: Gary Payton II (ankle)