Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
From New Orleans to Philadelphia, with, eventually, 80 games in between, the Chicago Bulls unveiled their schedule on Thursday.
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They open at the Pelicans on Oct. 23, close at the 76ers with an April 13 matinee and begin their home schedule on Oct. 26 against Alex Caruso and the Oklahoma City Thunder. They have 13 sets of back-to-back games, a season-high, five-game homestand in March and a season-high, six-game trip in March.
Like with any new season, storylines abound. DeMar DeRozan returns to the United Center with the Sacramento Kings for a Jan. 12 matinee. LeBron James makes his lone Chicago appearance on March 27. And Josh Giddey makes his return to Oklahoma City on March 31.
With a new-look team centered on a youth movement, the Bulls will be tested early. Nine of their first 13 games are against playoff teams, including last season’s No. 1-seeded Western Conference team in the home opener versus the Thunder and both Western Conference finalists in a back-to-back at Dallas and versus Minnesota on Nov. 6-7.
The Bulls also face the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics three times before Christmas, including an away-and-home, back-to-back set on Dec. 19 in Boston and Dec. 21 in Chicago.
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For the second straight season, the Bulls face the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers on separate trips. They play the Clippers on Jan. 21 as part of a three-game trip that concludes in San Francisco against Olympics hero Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers’ road game on March 22 is part of that season-high, six-game swing.
If you like starpower, Giannis Antetokounmpo visits on Dec. 23 and Dec. 28, closing the four-game season series with the Milwaukee Bucks before the New Year. France’s silver medalist Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs make their lone trip on Jan. 7. Nikola Jokic, who was ejected from his lone United Center appearance last season, visits with the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 27. And Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks are in Chicago on March 29.
The Bulls get an opportunity just before the All-Star break with three games against the young Detroit Pistons in 10 days, including the rare set of home back-to-back games on Feb. 11-12. The Bulls then exit the break on Feb. 20 with a tough game against Tom Thibodeau, Jalen Brunson and the improved New York Knicks.
The Bulls’ busiest months are November and January, with 16 games each. They only play one set of back-to-back games in the final month of April, which is followed by a play-in tournament that the Bulls have exited for two straight seasons.
Who knows what this season will bring? With Giddey joining first-round draft pick Matas Buzelis, free-agent signing Jalen Smith and Chris Duarte from the DeRozan sign-and-trade, there are new faces. A re-signed Patrick Williams will be expected to take a jump like Coby White did last season, while Ayo Dosunmu remains prominently in the rotation.
Lonzo Ball also will be attempting to make an almost unprecedented comeback after over 2-1/2 years away from the game and three knee surgeries, including a cartilage transplant. Then there's the ongoing trade drama seemingly always surrounding Zach LaVine.
Thursday’s release featured only 80 games, with two to be added depending on how the Bulls fare in the four-game schedule of pool play in the NBA Cup.