The Chicago Bulls' scheduled contest against the Indiana Pacers was postponed Wednesday night because of a severe winter storm and blizzard that hit Central and Southern Indiana hard. The mayor of Indianapolis ordered all but the city’s essential services shut down with weather services predicting the storm could be the biggest to hit the area in four years.
Tom Thibodeau gave the team the day off on Thursday and will resume practice Friday before hosting the Washington Wizards Saturday night at the United Center. The Bulls last played on Christmas Day against the Houston Rockets, and the cancellation of the Pacers game actually couldn’t have come at a better time.
Luol Deng injured his ankle in the first quarter against the Rockets and he was noticeably limping after the game. Deng most likely would’ve been a game-time decision against the Pacers and would have been limited if he did play.
The time off gives Deng a chance to rest and receive treatment on his injured ankle, while allowing the remainder of the team to rest their bodies as they prepare for their next two games against essentially inferior opponents.
The 3-23 Wizards come into Saturday’s contest having lost their last eight games, and Monday’s matinee matchup at the United Center against the 7-21 Charlotte Bobcats on New Year’s Eve shouldn’t pose much of a challenge for the Bulls either. The Bobcats are in the midst of a 16-game losing streak and haven’t won a game since defeating Washington in double-overtime on Nov. 24.
Wins over Washington and Charlotte would push the Bulls to 10-5 in the month of December and move them to 17-12 on the season as they chase the Pacers in the Central Division standings.
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