The Chicago Bulls have a growing concern: They can’t win at home.
Monday night’s victory over the Brooklyn Nets was only their third home win in 10 games this season, while they’re 6-6 on the road. And with more than a quarter of the season done, coach Billy Donovan is beginning to take measures to shake things up.
Some of this is a scheduling issue. Three of the Bulls’ five clutch losses (a margin of five points or fewer in the final five minutes) have come at home. And five of their seven home losses were to teams with a combined 79-25 record: the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies and Boston Celtics.
For Donovan, the main issue is how the Bulls are shooting at the United Center. They’re making 3-pointers at a 36.4% clip at home (15th in the NBA) compared with 39.6% on the road (second in the league).
To try to combat this issue, the Bulls moved their shootarounds on the morning of home games from the Advocate Center to the United Center. It’s just a move across the road, but Donovan hopes establishing familiarity with the arena’s sight lines will give the Bulls an additional home advantage.
He can’t guarantee the shootaround shift will help his players behind the arc, but he feels it’s necessary to make every effort available.
“The more you can get into a place to constantly shoot, that’s a good thing,” Donovan said. “I don’t know if it had any impact on us at all … but I do think getting in here and shooting is better for our guys. When we’re playing well, this place is really, really hard to play in.”
Sky face Fever five times in 2025
The Chicago Sky will face the Indiana Fever more times than any other team in the 2025 WNBA season, feeding into a budding Midwestern rivalry.
The teams will tip off the regular season May 17 in Indianapolis, and the Sky will host the Fever for a Commissioners Cup matchup June 7 at Wintrust Arena. The Sky will host the Fever again on July 26 before traveling to Indiana for the games on Aug. 9 and Sept. 5.
Only two other teams will face each other five times next season: the Connecticut Sun and Atlanta Dream, who meet three times in the final 11 days, including back-to-back games on the final weekend.
Adidas names Simeon its first ‘Rose School’
Derrick Rose is photographed with Simeon’s basketball team in 2019 when the school retired the No. 25 jersey worn by Ben Wilson and Rose. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
In a partnership with former Bulls great and NBA MVP Derrick Rose, Adidas named Simeon — Rose’s high school alma mater — its first “Rose School” this week.
The partnership will provide support for the Simeon girls and boys basketball teams, including Adidas uniforms for both programs.
“High school is where it all started for me, which is why I’m excited to announce the first Rose School with Simeon Career Academy,” Rose said in a statement. “That foundation made me into the player and person I am today. But this isn’t just about basketball — it’s about providing opportunity, inspiring the next generation and showing young athletes that they can achieve anything.”
Illinois men return to AP poll
After starting the season unranked, Illinois climbed back into the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll this week at No. 19 after convincing wins over Little Rock and then-No. 19 Arkansas. The Illini are 6-1 with their lone loss coming against No. 10 Alabama in Birmingham.
While the 100-87 defeat against the Crimson Tide highlighted defensive concerns, Illinois has been bolstered by additions such as Tomislav Ivišić (16.3 points, 8.9 rebounds per game) and Will Riley (15.4, 4.6). The Illini average 14.3 offensive rebounds per game, the most in the Big Ten.
A challenging schedule this month includes home games against No. 11 Wisconsin on Tuesday and No. 3 Tennessee on Dec. 14, plus the annual Braggin’ Rights game against Missouri on Dec. 22 in St. Louis. The Illini open Big Ten play Friday at Northwestern.
Number of the week: 9
Zach LaVine remains the most prolific — and flashiest — dunker on the Bulls roster, but rookie Matas Buzelis is quickly becoming LaVine’s main challenger.
Buzelis has nine dunks this season, second on the team, despite averaging only 11.6 minutes (21.8 fewer than LaVine). He ranks 10th on the Bulls in playing time, behind fellow youngsters Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips.
Buzelis’ rim game is important as the Bulls try to build a more balanced offense for the future. While their 3-point production has spiked considerably this season, they still are trying to revitalize their offense above the rim after ranking last in the league in dunks last season.
Week ahead: Bulls
- Thursday: at San Antonio Spurs, 7 p.m. (CHSN)
- Friday: vs. Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m. (CHSN)
- Sunday: vs. Philadelphia 76ers, noon (CHSN)
What we’re reading this morning
- Lonzo Ball is finding his rhythm on defense with the Bulls: ‘It’s amazing to me’
- Zach LaVine is making history — and anchoring the Bulls offense — from behind the arc
- Notre Dame falls 7 spots in women’s Top 25 basketball rankings as UCLA and UConn remain 1-2
Quotable
“Stepped off the plane and (Chicago) cold punched me right in the jaw.” — new Sky coach Tyler Marsh on his first subfreezing day in the city
