Bucks (26-54, 7-33 road, 13th East) @ Bulls (31-49, 19-21 home, 11th East)
Gametime: 7:00 PM CT
TV: FSN Wisconsin/League Pass/NBA LP Broadband
Radio: 620 WTMJ/Stream Free @ NBA.com
Bucks Stats: Offense 22nd (102.1 pts/100 poss), Defense 29th (109.5), Rebounding 12th (.506 rr), Pace 17th (93.7)
Bulls Stats: Offense 27th (100.5 pts/100 poss), Defense 12th (103.9), Rebounding 15th (.502 rr), Pace 11th (95.6)
Bucks Lineup: Ramon Sessions / Michael Redd / Desmond Mason / Charlie Villanueva / Andrew Bogut
Bulls Lineup: Kirk Hinrich / Larry Hughes / Luol Deng / Tyrus Thomas / Joakim Noah
Bucks Injuries: Mo Williams has missed five straight games with an abdominal strain. Yi Jianlian is out for the season with a sprained MCL. Charlie Bell is out for the season with a right knee sprain. Charlie Villanueva has missed the past two games with a strained hamstring. Michael Ruffin missed the team's last game with a sprained left ankle.
Bulls Injuries: Drew Gooden has missed seven straight games with an abdominal strain.
07/08 Series: Bulls 2-1. The Bucks beat the Bulls 78-72 on Nov. 3. The Bulls won in Chicago 103-99 on Dec. 28. The Bulls topped the Bucks 114-111 on March 29.
Key Points:
- The Bulls lost 104-84 to the Magic last night as Bulls' starters combined for just 40 points, led by Luol Deng's 19. Two nights after going for 20 and 14 in a win over the Cavaliers, Tyrus Thomas had four points and three rebounds, determinedly furthering his quest to become the division's most potential-filled but frustrating power forward. Charlie Villanueva, on a related note, went for two points and four rebounds and then 38 points and 12 rebounds in his last two games.
- The Bucks started April with two straight wins, but have since lost six straight, most recently a 111-98 decision to the Nets on Saturday. The Bucks have allowed 11 consecutive opponents to score at least 100 points. They have hit triple digits five of those 11 games.
- The Bucks conclude their home slate at the Bradley Center tonight against the same team they opened at home: the Bulls. The home opener didn't give us a good read on the team however, as the Bucks won 78-72 thanks to some strong defense, an all-around effort by Michael Redd, and very active nights by Yi Jianlian and Charlie Bell. As it turns out, that game was the about the furthest from a typical Bucks game we would see this year.
- Coming off a sellout on Saturday against the Nets, tonight is Fan Appreciation Night at the Bradley Center. There are some pretty decent giveaways too for some lucky fans. The Bucks rank 22nd in the NBA in home attendance this season, averaging 15,580. The Bucks are 24th in the overall NBA standings, so the attendance numbers perhaps shouldn't come as a surprise.
- Michael Redd has struggled in April, but may be able to get back on track tonight. He is averaging 31.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.0 assists on 45.3 % shooting from the field and 41.2 % from outside in three games against the Bulls this season.
- Check out Blog a Bull and the Chicago Tribune for more on the Bulls.