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The Chicago Bulls have been one of the NBA's top teams all season long, but they're facing one of the few teams that's matched their success of late on Wednesday in the San Antonio Spurs. While the Bulls have the advantage in terms of overall record, San Antonio has won 12 of its past 13 games.
Injuries have been playing a major role in San Antonio this season, but the team has thrived regardless. Part of that can be attributed to the Spurs' impressive depth, and the Bulls know firsthand how large of an advantage can be created from a deep rotation of effective players. The Spurs likely won't have star shooting guard Manu Ginobili on Wednesday, but injuries have been an issue for him all season.
Chicago has dealt with some injuries of its own this season, but the team had all five of its established starters on the court against the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday. Derrick Rose, Richard Hamilton, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah have only appeared together in six games this season, but the team is 5-1 when that happens.
Last time these two teams played in February of 2011, Rose scored 42 points, then a career-high, to lead a Noah-less Bulls team to a 109-99 victory.
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