The Chicago Bulls might be getting their best player back this week. On Sunday, $100 million point guard Josh Giddey partook in his first 5-on-5 practice since suffering a hamstring strain during a workout with the Bulls’ NBAGL affiliate, the Windy City Bulls.
Giddey’s All-Star reserve dreams may be dashed if he misses much more time. We already know he missed out on starting, although that never felt like a real possibility. In 10 games without the 6-foot-7 Aussie, the Bulls have gone 4-6. Two of those victories have arrived against tanking Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets squads that were suspiciously resting their best players, so that tally might be a bit misleading.
Point guard Tre Jones and power forward/center Jalen Smith have taken on more minutes and touches, while forward Matas Buzelis has been perhaps the biggest offensive beneficiary of Giddey’s absence. 2026 free agent guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu were the heroes in Chicago’s latest win, a 124-102 blowout over Brooklyn on Sunday.
Chicago’s mettle will be thoroughly tested this week, against three formidable foes who are all jockeying for postseason positioning. If Giddey doesn’t show, it could be a long week.
Patrick Gorski-Imagn ImagesMeet The Bulls’ Opponents
1/20 vs Clippers: If you haven’t been paying attention, the 18-23 Clippers seem to be well past their early-season struggles. LA started off the year with a dismal 6-21 record. But they’ve staged a massive turnaround of late, having gone 12-2 since that start appeared to doom their season. The big reason LA has been so effective of late, however, won’t be available against the Bulls. Kawhi Leonard, who’s been playing like Toronto Raptors-era Kawhi Leonard lately, is set to miss at least the next two games due to knee irritation. Still, Chicago’s badness I think has been papered over of late, thanks to recent wins over nakedly tanking clubs like the Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets. This Bulls team — especially without Giddey — is very vulnerable.
A big element of the Clippers’ salvaged season has been the rise of its youth movement — and the improvement of two old guys.
Third-year small forward Jordan Miller has enjoyed the biggest increased role for LA. In the last seven bouts, he’s been averaging 12.7 points on .556/.458/.727 shooting splits, 4.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals in 28.4 minutes. Rookie shooting guard Kobe Sanders and second-year swingman Cam Christie have been pressed into service lately, submitting efficient numbers when they get minutes. 37-year-old frontcourt vets Brook Lopez and Nicolas Batum have been downright playable of late, with Batum even getting installed as a fill-in starter lately.
1/22 at Timberwolves: Minnesota may have dropped its last two straight, but the West’s No. 4 seed (27-16) has looked like a sleeping giant, even in a loaded conference. The Timberwolves are probably a trade away from really being able to hang with the Oklahoma City Thunder or Denver Nuggets, but Minnesota seems to know that.
The club reportedly has interested in trading for Coby White, per Sam Amick of The Athletic. White would give Minnesota some supplemental playmaking and scoring in the backcourt. Donte DiVincenzo is a solid defender, but really more of a miscast shooting guard than anything. 38-year-old former All-Star Mike Conley has slipped too much to start anymore.
Still, shooting guard Anthony Edwards and big men Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert have been performing at an All-Star level, and the club’s two-way play and size should give the Bulls plenty of trouble — if everyone is healthy.
Chicago may get a bit of a schedule break, however. Gobert and sixth man power forward/center Naz Reid were both hurt by the end of Minnesota’s 126-123 Saturday loss to the San Antonio Spurs, and are now considered day-to-day. Without two of their top three big men, the Timberwolves may prove a bit more beatable than they looked when they were annihilating the Bulls last month. In fairness, Chicago starting guards Giddey and White both left that game early, too, setting the stage for a major Minnesota run in the second half.
1/24 vs Celtics: The 26-15 Celtics have numbered among the happy surprises of the 2025-26 season so far. Six-time All-Star forward Jayson Tatum has missed the entire season while recovering from an Achilles tendon tear (although he appears to be angling for a comeback at some point this season). Boston also flipped six-time All-Defensive Team guard Jrue Holiday and former starting center Kristaps Porzingis during the 2025 offseason, while letting bigs Luke Kornet and Al Horford exit in free agency.
Jaylen Brown’s evolution from fringe All-Star to now having an inside track on an All-NBA First Team appearance has obviously been the headline-grabber. But incumbent guards Derrick White and Payton Pritchard have stepped up as ancillary cogs. Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla has also benefitted from the solid contributions of former fourth-string center Neemias Queta, new trade addition Anfernee Simons, rookie wing Hugo Gonzalez, defense-first young swingman Jordan Walsh, sharpshooter Sam Hauser, and new veteran’s minimum signing Josh Minott and Luka Garza.
Pritchard sat out Boston’s 132-106 massacre of the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday with an ankle issue. In his stead, second-year wing Baylor Scheierman drew the backcourt start next to White. He’s officially considered day-to-day moving forward this week.
The Celtics have already throttled Chicago once this month, a 115-101 road victory two weeks ago. Can they do it again, this time in the United Center?
Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesBulls Projected Lineup
Coby White Isaac Okoro Matas Buzelis Jalen Smith Nikola VucevicProjected Opponent Lineups
Los Angeles Clippers
James Harden Kris Dunn Kobe Sanders Nicolas Batum Ivica ZubacMinnesota Timberwolves
Donte DiVincenzo Anthony Edwards Jaden McDaniels Julius Randle Joan BeringerBoston Celtics
Derrick White Baylor Scheierman Jaylen Brown Sam Hauser Neemias QuetaUnavailable/Injured (at the start of the week)
Bulls: Noa Essengue OUT (shoulder), Zach Collins OUT (right first toe), Josh Giddey OUT (hamstring), Patrick Williams OUT (ankle). Clippers: Bradley Beal OUT (hip), Bogdan Bogdanovic OUT (hamstring), Derrick Jones Jr. OUT (knee), Kawhi Leonard OUT (ankle). Timberwolves: Rudy Gobert OUT (hip), Joe Ingles OUT (personal), Naz Reid OUT (shoulder), Terrence Shannon Jr. OUT (foot). Celtics: Jayson Tatum OUT (Achilles), Chris Boucher OUT (back), Josh Minott OUT (ankle), Payton Pritchard OUT (ankle). Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY SportsHence then, the article about bulls weekly preview giddey on the mend possible 0 3 week downloading was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Bulls Weekly Preview: Giddey On the Mend, Possible 0-3 Week Downloading? )
Also on site :
- Miguel Delaney answers your Premier League questions – from the next manager to be sacked to surprise January transfers
- I warned Colorado lawmakers this law was unconstitutional and now they will pay millions in attorney fees (Opinion)
- Blackhawks vs Jets — Toews’ Return, Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread