Both the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards have started the new 2022-23 NBA season with a win, but on Friday night, one of these teams will pick up their first loss of the new campaign.
The Bulls and Wizards are set to play each other in Washington in a game that could wind up being very interesting, especially since the Bulls are short-handed due to injuries.
Zach LaVine will miss his second consecutive game to start the season as he recovers from a left knee injury and Lonzo Ball remains sidelined indefinitely after complications from a meniscus injury suffered last season.
Second-year Ayo Dosunmu is the one to fill Ball’s shoes early in the season and in the first game of the year, Chicago went with Alex Caruso in the starting lineup to try and replace LaVine. Without the All-Star guard in the lineup though, it was DeMar DeRozan putting his team on his back with a marvelous 37-point performance, the most points any player has scored in a game so far this season.
On the opposite side of the floor, the Wizards have set high expectations for themselves this season even though the general consensus has them out of the playoff picture to begin the year. Bradley Beal is back for Washington and this team finally has some intriguing depth with experienced players like Kyle Kuzma, Will Barton, Monte Morris, Delon Wright, Kristaps Porzingis and others around him.
Eight of the ten players that played in the Wizards’ opening night game ended up scoring at least 8 points in the game, further proving the improvements this team has made to their depth in the offseason. Will it be enough to get past the Bulls, a team that is looking to make it back to the playoffs in a very crowded Eastern Conference?
The 2022-23 NBA season has begun and here is how to watch Friday’s game with gametimes and TV, lineups, bios and other must-know details.
How to watch Bulls vs. Wizards
- WHO: Chicago Bulls (1-0) vs. Washington Wizards (1-0)
- WHEN: 7:00 pm ET, Friday, October 21, 2022
- WHERE: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
- TV: NBA League Pass
- Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
Key Stats & Facts For Bulls vs. Wizards
- The Chicago Bulls recently defeated the Miami Heat 116-108 on the road to open up the 2022-23 NBA season.
- The Washington Wizards recently defeated the Indiana Pacers 114-107 on the road to open the 2022-23 NBA season.
- DeMar DeRozan recorded 37 points in his season debut with the Bulls after finishing second in total points scored last season.
- Bradley Beal led the Wizards in scoring in their first game of the new season with 23 points.
- Chicago swept Washington in three regular season matchups a season ago, outscoring the Wizards by 22 total points.
Last Matchup:
March 29, 2022 – Bulls 107, Wizards 94
Thanks to 73 combined points from DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, the Chicago Bulls were able to defeat the Washington Wizards 107-94 in their final meeting of the 2021-22 regular season. Without Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who is now a member of the Denver Nuggets, and Rui Hachimura combined for 41 points. The Bulls shot 50.6 percent from the floor as a team in this game.
Latest Injury News:
Bulls: Lonzo Ball (knee) is OUT, Zach LaVine (knee) is OUT
Heat: Corey Kispert (ankle) – OUT, Deni Avdija (ankle) – OUT, Vernon Carey Jr. (concussion) – QUESTIONABLE
Projected Starters:
PROJECTED BULLS STARTERS:
- G Ayo Dosunmu6-foot-5 guard: 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists
- G Alex Caruso6-4 guard: 6.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists
- F DeMar DeRozan6-6 forward: 37.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 9.0 assists
- F Patrick Williams6-7 forward: 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds
- C Nikola Vucevic6-10 center: 15.0 points, 17.0 rebounds
PROJECTED WIZARDS STARTERS:
- G Monte Morris6-2 guard: 7.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists
- G. Bradley Beal, 6-4 guard: 23.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists
- G/F Will Barton6-6 guard/forward: 14.0 points, 3.0 rebounds
- F Kyle Kuzma6-9 forward: 22.0 points, 13.0 rebounds
- C Kristaps Porzingis7-3 center: 15.0 points, 10.0 rebounds
Betting Odds:
- The Wizards are currently 2.5-point favorites over the Bulls as of Friday afternoon, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
- The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 222 total points.
What to watch for:
- Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan were one of the best scoring duos in the entire NBA a season ago for the Chicago Bulls, averaging a combined 52.3 points per game.
- Bradley Beal has averaged at least 22.0 points per game over the course of a season since the start of the 2016-17 season.
- The Bulls are 129-107 all-time against the Wizards.
- Chicago averaged 111.6 points per game offensively last season while Washington only averaged 1108.6 points per game last season.
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