Tobe Awaka was added to the injury report with an ankle issue, and he and Patrick Williams are both targeted to return tonight against the Knicks. The Bulls are 1-3 and 11th in the East after losing 134-99 in Boston.
Awaka back on report. Awaka was cleared October 23 after a knee problem. On October 27 he went back on the list, this time with an ankle issue, with tonight as his target. Williams, listed out on the day of the Boston game, was upgraded October 27 and is also aimed at the Knicks.
Claxton's circled date. Nic Claxton is still out with the hamstring. His listed return is November 4, the night the Bulls play in New York. Until then the bigs are Jalen Smith and Zach Collins. Smith is giving 12.5 points a game with 7.5 boards, which is honest work but no answer at the rim.
Tempo against fatigue. The Bulls play at 108.3 possessions a game and the Knicks at 97.8. New York played Tuesday and gets no rest, while Chicago had a day off. Jalen Brunson averages 22.8 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns has 22.5 with 14.0 rebounds. Jose Alvarado is listed with a left ankle issue.
The number is 120.2. That is the Bulls' defensive rating through four games, with a net rating of minus 18.3. Toronto scored 135 and Boston 134. Playing that fast only pays off if the Bulls get stops, and they have not. Against a slower team tonight, every empty trip will cost them.
Nobody is hitting. Caleb Wilson averages 21.0 points but is shooting 17.9 percent on threes. Josh Giddey has 7.3 assists a night and is at 15.4 percent from three. Matas Buzelis is at 21.1. Andrew Hanlon of Pippen Ain't Easy wrote about the Bulls' "alarmingly awful shooting," and he has a point.
Schedule turns hard. Joe Cowley wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times that the Bulls have serious "right-now" issues as the schedule toughens. After tonight come trips to Boston, Philadelphia and New York in six days. The Bulls fell from 23rd to 27th in the power rankings this week. The open question is whether Splitter keeps pushing the pace or slows down to protect the defense.
Is Patrick Williams playing against the Knicks tonight?
Williams was upgraded from out on October 27, and tonight's game against New York is his target return. Tobe Awaka, who has an ankle issue, has the same target.
When is Nic Claxton expected back for the Bulls?
Claxton is out with a hamstring injury, and his listed return date is November 4. That is the night the Bulls play at New York.
