Bulls vs. Wizards game preview and thread: going for 2-0

So maybe all the consternation and analysis over the Bulls was pointless. We saw it in their win over the Heat in Miami on opening night: If you have DeMar DeRozan...take that for data:

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I had forgotten that the Bulls were horrendous against the ‘top’ teams in the conference last year, and this win over Miami already matches their combined record against the Heat+Sixers+Bucks+Celtics from all of last season. Maybe Miami doesn’t finish in that top tier so this stat is ruined, or the Bulls never get another good win?

That’s right, I will continue to doubt DeRozan and the Bulls. It’s win-win, either I’m right or they win more games!

The Wizards should also have DDR at the forefront of their collective memory (there’s a RAM joke to be made there, I think): DeRozan’s second of back-to-back game-winners was in Washington.

A lot of that group has carried over into this season, including the seemingly permanently entrenched Bradley Beal, whose emblematic mediocrity ties with this Wizards franchise. After a pretty good offseason (trading Russell Westbrook = A) and fast start, they sunk back to Wizardsdom and shook up a lot of the team. At the deadline last year they acquired Kristaps Porzingis, and then in the offseason made a role player exchange with the Nuggets that netted them Monte Morris and Will Barton. Hey, Taj is on this team! It’s actually a pretty interesting group, but that’s always the case for a few weeks before it goes to shit.

In their opener, they took out the Pacers on the road, putting up a 103.7 defensive rating albiet against a team that is tank-y.

Injury Report:

No Zach LaVine, what the hell man

For the Wizards, Kory Kispert is out to start the season for weeks with an ankle sprain. Starting wing Deni Avdija then sprained his ankle in the opener, and is listed as questionable.

Odds: Find it intriguing, again: Bulls are underdogs here! By a couple points! Somebody tell DeMar DeRozan there are still doubters. I don’t want to hear the words “NOBODY TOLD DEMAR DEROZAN HE WAS FADING” , tell him!

Game Time: 6pm Central, NBC Sports Chicago