Bulls Battle Grizzlies In Memphis, Without Boozer
Monday night could be a tough game for the Chicago Bulls. While the team is leading the Central Division, they've struggled on the road and have struggled against their Monday night opponent.
The Bulls have struggled against the Memphis Grizzlies, and they might have a difficult time reversing that trend with Carlos Boozer unlikely to be available Monday.
With its starting power forward expected to sit out due to a sprained ankle, Chicago will try to avoid a fourth straight loss in the series and ninth in 10 all-time meetings at Memphis.
The Bulls beat Miami 99-96 on Saturday on Kyle Korver's 3-pointer with 25 seconds left. Boozer came up limping just before the shot after attempting to follow up Derrick Rose's miss, with Boozer's errant tip going to Korver and leading to his 3.
Boozer missed the first 15 games this season with a broken bone in his right hand. Chicago (27-13) went 9-6 without him, but he's averaged 21.1 points and 10.8 rebounds to help the Central Division-leading Bulls win 18 of 23.
"(The ankle) hurts right now," Boozer told the team's official website. "It really swelled up a lot. We'll see what happens in the next day or two."
Taj Gibson is expected to start in Boozer's place. He averaged 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds while starting 14 of the first 15 games, but he'll be hard-pressed to replace Boozer's production Monday.
Boozer has averaged 24.0 points and 11.6 rebounds in his last 10 matchups with the Grizzlies, and he's scored 21.7 points per game in his career against them - tied for his highest average versus any opponent.
Gibson has averaged 5.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in two career starts against the Grizzlies.
Boozer's expected absence means the Bulls will likely need another strong performance from Rose.
The guard scored 34 points Saturday and has averaged 29.0 while helping his team win four of five. He's scored 19.3 points over three career games against the Grizzlies but had 12 in his only game in Memphis, a 103-96 loss Dec. 12, 2008. He did have 11 assists in that contest.
Chicago ended a season-worst three-game road skid with a 99-86 win over Indiana on Friday.
The Bulls have dropped five in a row at Memphis. Rose and Luol Deng sat out with injuries in a 104-97 road defeat March 16, the teams' most recent meeting.
O.J. Mayo led six Grizzlies in double figures in that game with 24 points while Mike Conley added 19 points, 10 assists and five steals. Zach Randolph chipped in 18 points and 12 boards for Memphis (19-21).
Randolph has averaged 26.6 points and 15.1 rebounds in his last nine games. He had 23 points and 20 boards - his fourth 20-20 game this season - in an 89-70 home win over Dallas on Saturday, the Grizzlies' second straight victory and fifth in seven games.
Randolph has averaged 26.3 points and 12.7 rebounds in his last three matchups with Chicago.
"There isn't anything new going on. This is just an everyday job. I come out and do my job the best I can," Randolph said. I'm just going to play my position. I'm going to play inside and do what I have to do to help my team win. I'm going to make a presence for myself on the inside and for my team."
The Grizzlies have won of 10 of 12 at FedExForum following a 2-4 start. They'll try to record five straight home victories for the first time since a franchise-record 11-game run Dec. 18, 2009-Jan. 25, 2010.
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