Game Time: Monday, December 23, 2025
Location: United Center, Chicago
Listen, I’ve watched enough Bulls basketball this season to know better than to get my hopes up. But here we are on December 23rd, hosting the Hawks at the United Center, and I’m allowing myself to feel a tiny spark of optimism. Maybe it’s the holiday spirit. Maybe it’s delusion. Probably both.
Where We Stand Right Now
Let’s be real about what we’re working with. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan can put up points—when they’re clicking, we look like a legitimate playoff team. When they’re not? We look like a team that should be tanking but won’t commit to it.
Our defense has actually been decent this year. Alex Caruso still plays like every possession is Game 7 of the Finals, and Vooch has been surprisingly solid protecting the rim. We’re in the top 10 in defensive efficiency, which sounds impressive until you realize we can’t score consistently enough to capitalize on it.
The offense? That’s where things get painful. We go through these droughts where nobody can buy a bucket, and suddenly we’re down 15 with six minutes left in the third quarter. It’s become so predictable that I can time my bathroom breaks around them.
The Hawks: Everything We Wish We Were
Here’s what kills me about Atlanta—they’re basically what the Bulls could be if everything worked right. Trae Young is out there looking like he’s playing on rookie difficulty, dropping dimes and hitting threes from the parking lot. Dejounte Murray gives them the two-way guard we desperately need. And Clint Capela? The man just eats rebounds for breakfast.
The Hawks lead the league in fast-break points and chuck threes like they’re being paid per attempt. Their defense is suspect (which gives me hope), but when you score that easily, who cares about stops?
And here’s the kicker—they’ve struggled on the road this season. Which is exactly why I’m nervous. Nothing would be more Bulls than losing a home game to a team that can’t win away from home.
The Matchups That’ll Decide This Game
Trae Young vs Alex Caruso (and My Blood Pressure)
This is it right here. Can Caruso—our defensive bulldog, our hustle king, our everything—slow down Trae Young?
Young is going to get his points. That’s just physics. But if Caruso can make him work for everything, force him into tough shots, and prevent him from getting into his passing rhythm, we’ve got a chance. If Young goes off for 35 and 12 assists? Pour one out for the Bulls.
DeMar’s Mid-Range vs Reality
DeMar DeRozan is going to take 20 mid-range jumpers tonight. That’s not a prediction—it’s a fact of life, like taxes and disappointment. De’Andre Hunter will defend him physically, but DeMar’s footwork in the mid-range is still beautiful to watch.
The question isn’t whether DeMar will score. It’s whether he’ll score efficiently enough to keep us in the game when Atlanta goes on their inevitable 12-0 run.
The Bench Battle Nobody Talks About Enough
Coby White has been a revelation off the bench this season. When he’s aggressive, he gives us that spark we desperately need from the second unit. But Atlanta has Bogdan Bogdanović, who can get nuclear-hot and drop 20 points in eight minutes if you look at him wrong.
Onyeka Okongwu has been solid for them too. Our bench depth has to show up tonight, or we’re cooked.
What Needs to Happen for the Bulls to Win
1. Control the Pace
We cannot—I repeat, CANNOT—let this turn into a track meet. Atlanta wants to run, and when they get going in transition, it’s game over. We need to slow this down, make them play in the half-court, and grind this out defensively.
2. Limit Turnovers
We’re averaging too many careless turnovers per game, and Atlanta converts those into easy buckets. Every time we throw a lazy pass or dribble into traffic, Trae Young is going the other way for a layup or a lob to Capela.
3. Patrick Williams Needs to Be More Than a Ghost
Patrick Williams is the ultimate X-factor. When he’s aggressive—knocking down threes, defending multiple positions, making smart cuts—we look like a completely different team. When he’s invisible? We’re playing 4-on-5.
Tonight, we need Good Patrick Williams. Not “standing in the corner wondering why nobody passes to him” Patrick Williams.
4. Make Them Pay from Three
Atlanta’s defense is beatable. They’ll give up open looks from three. LaVine, DeMar, Coby—someone needs to punish them when they get space. We can’t go 8-for-30 from deep and expect to win.
The Hawks’ Advantages (Unfortunately, There Are Several)
- Trae Young exists: Self-explanatory
- They score in bunches: One minute it’s close, next minute they’re up 12
- Capela on the boards: The man is a rebounding vacuum cleaner
- Three-point volume: They live and die by the three, and lately, they’ve been living
My Prediction (With Heavy Doses of Homer-ism)
Here’s the thing—the Hawks have struggled on the road, and we’re actually solid at home. Our defense can frustrate them if we stay disciplined. If Caruso can disrupt Trae, if DeMar gets his mid-range going, if the bench shows up, if Patrick Williams remembers he’s a basketball player…
That’s a lot of “ifs.”
But it’s December 23rd, I’m writing this from Chicago, and I choose to believe.
Bulls 112, Hawks 108
Yeah, I know. I’m probably setting myself up for disappointment. But that’s what being a Bulls fan is all about—eternal hope followed by crushing reality, repeat until death.
Keys to Victory
- Hold Trae Young under 30 points (please, basketball gods)
- Win the turnover battle
- Get 15+ from the bench
- Hit our free throws in crunch time (we’ve been terrible at this)
- Patrick Williams: literally just do anything
The Real Talk
This game matters more than it should for December. We need wins like this to stay relevant in the East. A loss to a struggling road team at home would be devastating for morale. A win? It could be the spark that gets us rolling into the new year.
Atlanta’s offense is scary, but their defense is beatable. We’ve got home court. We’ve got the defensive intensity. We just need to execute and not beat ourselves with stupid mistakes.
Am I confident? Not really. Am I hopeful? Against my better judgment, yes.
That’s Bulls basketball, baby. See you at the United Center.
Projected Starters:
Bulls: Coby White, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, Nikola Vučević
Hawks: Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, De’Andre Hunter, Jalen Johnson, Clint Capela
Final thought: If we lose by 20, I didn’t write this. If we win, I’m a genius. That’s how this works.
Go Bulls. Please don’t hurt me tonight.