Joakim Noah leads the Bulls tonight against the Wolves
The Wolves play the Bulls tonight. The Bulls aren’t the same without Derrick Rose.
They struggle to create their own shots.
But they’re still 3-2.
The Wolves are in a similar situation without Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio – their core.
They’re 4-1, after some inspired play last night and in other games.
What to watch for tonight? The Bulls don’t have Derrick Rose. Did we mention they don’t have Derrick Rose?
That doesn’t mean they don’t play solid defense. They do: the Bulls play some of the best defense in the League, and any Tom Thibodeau team probably would. Look for Kirk Hinrich to put a lot of pressure on Wolves guards tonight. Taj Gibson is also a stellar defender, and a fun player to watch, which Andy G and I have discussed.
Look for Taj to give Derrick Williams fits tonight.
Another issue: Joakim Noah. He’s also a good defender.
Noah will be defending Nikola Pekovic tonight. Pek has been scoring some, but hasn’t been scoring on the pace he was last season. A key tonight will be whether Pek can dominate Noah, which would open opportunities for other teammates.
Finally, Alexey Shved has been a huge X-factor off the bench. We’ve long been excited about Shved.
Will Shved be big again tonight? Here’s hoping…
Punch-Drunk Wolves 