Published on: Mar 18, 2022 1:01 pm IST|Updated on: Mar 18, 2022 1:01 pm IST
PHX vs CHI Dream11: Hello NBA fans! How is the season treating y’all? How are your favorite teams doing? Well, I don’t have a favorite as a writer who engages with all the 30 teams, there is some kind of relationship with all of them. Well, it is a matter of earning a living for me but for the NBA athletes, there are big bucks to be made, but their trade is much more troublesome and demanding. And as the Playoffs approach, the demands are going to be only bigger. And can the Chicago Bulls meet the demands to fend off the league’s best Phoenix Suns?
The Suns have been the best team in the league for all of the season and there is no doubt that they will finish with the best record. They are on a three-game winning streak and even without their premier playmaker and closer Chris Paul, they have been getting it done. Hey, when you have a player like Booker alongside a strong unit, then is it even surprising?
On the other hand, the current window has been rather tough for the Chicago Bulls. They have been grappling with a tough schedule and despite having their isolation stars in Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, things have looked rather grim and the team has fallen behind in the race to the top of the Eastern Conference.
Host: Phoenix Suns Visitors: Chicago Bulls Match Timing: 19 March, @ 07:30 AM Venue: FootPrint Center
The Suns come into this game after beating the Houston Rockets 129:112 as an amped-up Booker inserted 36 points whereas Ayton, Bridges, and Craig all scored 20+
The Suns continue to rack up wins, overwhelm all sorts of opponents and despite missing their key Guard in Chris Paul, they have kept the winning train afloat. Thanks to Cameron Payne, the production from the Point Guard position has been consistent. Devin Booker is unsurprisingly scoring a bunch of points while he has also elevated his playmaking. What makes this team special is the frontline where Ayton can simply take over the paint and dip in points, collect boards, and play superb defense. Apart from that, it is the growth of Bridges as the two-way wing that has accelerated the team’s growth whereas Crowder has been inspirational as the other Forward. Craig filled in 21 points when Crowder was absent due to injury but the bench is too thin these days as another impressive wing in Cameron Johnson has been injured. Despite all of that, the Suns have continued to march on towards the 60+ win count and I doubt they will be contained below 60 wins at this point.
Chicago Bulls come into this game after a 110:125 loss to the Jazz as Jazz’s Mitchell stacked up 37 points against them and a 25-point outburst by him in the third quarter outmatched LaVine’s match total of 33 points
The Bulls are having an awful month and if we take into account their last nine games, they have won just two games. This is a concern because the team has had their two major players in LaVine and DeRozan active for the most parts during the window while their premier perimeter defender Alex Caruso has also returned. There is one trend I have noticed and it is that when DeRozan scores 30+ or so, the time wins more often and these days, although he is shooting well, DeMar hasn’t scored 30 as much as he did during the last month. However, this is not to fault DeRozan but rather the shaky rotation in absence of Lonzo Ball, who provided great perimeter shooting and passing balance. The Bulls defense has been of huge concern as the team has fallen behind squads such as Heat, 76ers, and Celtics in terms of defensive discipline. Can the Bulls discover some spark in this tough game?
Phoenix Suns | Chicago Bulls Games: 70 | 69 Wins: 56 | 41 Defeats: 14 | 28
Phoenix Suns Team News
Suns Expected Starting Five Wings: PF: Jae Crowder(QUESTIONABLE) /Torrey Craig | SF: Mikal Bridges Middle: C: Deandre Ayton Guard: SG: Devin Booker | PG: Cameron Payne
BENCH: Elfrid Payton, Landry Shamet, Bismack Biyombo, Torrey Craig, Javale McGee, Aaron Holiday, Ismail Wainright.
Chicago Bulls News:
Bulls Expected Starting Five Wings: SF: JaVonte Green | SF: DeMar DeRozan Middle: C: Nikola Vucevic Guards: PG: Ayo Dosunmu | SG: Zach LaVine
BENCH: Troy Brown Jr, Tyler Cook, Alex Caruso, Coby White, Tristan Thompson, Alfonzo McKinnie, Matt Thomas, Malcolm Hill, Marko Samonovic.
Devin Booker(PHX) Points: 36 Rebounds: 04 Assists: 04 Blocks: 01 Guard Booker has been a specialist scorer and in absence of CP-3, he has also picked up his playmaking as well. The high-yielding Guard has usually compiled 26+ points, 7-9 assists, and 4-5 rebounds these days. The guard can be considered as a Star/Pro Player in the Dream 11 NBA Fantasy scenario. Expected Fantasy Points Range: 40-55
DeMar DeRozan(CHI) Points: 25 Rebounds: 05 Assists: 07 DeMar has cooled down compared to the February stretch where he had eight games in a row with 30+ points. despite that, the isolation threat can be entrusted to drop 25-30 points, 4-7 rebounds, and 4-7 assists a game regularly. Expected Fantasy Points Range: 36-52
Deandre Ayton(PHX) Points: 23 Rebounds: 11 Assists: 00 Blocks: 01 Center Ayton has done a riveting job of finishing inside, sealing boards, and providing quality defense. He has mostly been in 19-23 points, and 9-12 rebounds range these days, Expected Fantasy Points Range: 29-39
Zach LaVine(CHI) Points: 33 Rebounds: 02 Assists: 05 Steals: 03 Blocks: 01 Like DeRozan, Zach is an amazing isolation scorer and can score in a myriad of ways while also dishing a decent number of assists. The Guard has mostly been in 24-30 points, 3-5 rebounds, and 5-6 assists range this month. Expected Fantasy Points Range: 37-51
Cameron Payne(PHX) Points: 06 Rebounds: 07 Assists: 11 Steals: 01 Payne has been doing a great job of filling the void of Paul’s absence and has primarily been a playmaker. He has figured in the 8-11 assists, 9-14 points, 4-7 rebounds, 1-2 steals range these days. Expected Fantasy Points Range: 21-34
Nikola Vucevic(CHI) Points: 10 Rebounds: 11 Assists: 01 Steals: 01 Big Nikola has done a great job of sealing the paint and his ability to dip in points and gather rebounds has been a plus for the Bull. The Center has mostly been in 19-23 points and 10-14 rebounds range. Expected Fantasy Points Range: 26-40
Wouldn’t it be great to see isolation giants like Booker, LaVine, and DeRozan in action? Well in a piece of pleasant news for Indian NBA fans, you can watch this match on the streaming platforms JIO TV and Voot, two official streaming platforms for NBA games in India. But there are eleven other games that you’ll like to catch on? So to do that, purchase the annual subscription in the NBA League Pass and you can both catch live games and also go through the full game replays. To know the scores, news, stats, and other NBA stuff, visit the official website of the NBA.