Brooklyn Nets at Chicago Bulls – Starting Lineups, Injury News, How to Watch

Jan 16, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Day'ron Sharpe (20) is guarded by Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Brooklyn Nets at Chicago Bulls – Starting Lineups, Injury News, How to Watch

Originally posted on Chicago Bulls on SI
By Elias Schuster | Last updated Jan 18, 2026 6:00 PM ET

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The Chicago Bulls let it happen again.

Facing Brooklyn on the Barclays Center court, the Bulls allowed the Nets to hand them a 112-109 loss. While Chicago was able to erase a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter alone, the fact that they fell behind that far in the first place said it all.

The Nets destroyed them from behind the arc with a 19-40 shooting night. How did the Bulls fare? Just 11-35. They struggled with the Nets halfcourt ball movement and also failed to control the pace of play for the majority of the night. Nevertheles, if they want to avoid a third-straight loss to this rebuilding team, running them off the three-point line is key.

We talked about it in our keys to the game on Friday, which essentially remain the same for tonight's battle at the United Center.

How to Watch

Who: Chicago Bulls (19-22) at Brooklyn Nets (12-27)
Where: United Center
When: 6:00 P.M. CT
Watch: Chicago Sports Network

Projected Starting Lineups

Chicago Bulls

1. Tre Jones
2. Coby White
3. Matas Buzelis
4. Isaac Okoro
5. Nikola Vucevic

Brooklyn Nets

1. Ego Demin
2. Terance Mann
3. Noah Clowney
4. Danny Wolf
5. Nic Claxton

Injury News

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

I guess even the tanking Nets are worried about beating the Chicago Bulls again!

Ahead of this evening's matchup, Brooklyn has ruled out leading scorer and potential All-Star forward Michael Porter Jr. for "rest." The driving force behind their offensive attack, Porter Jr. dropped 26 points on the Bulls this past Friday on 9-17 shooting from the field. The team has also already ruled out rookie Drake Powell, who started the previous outing.

As for Chicago, they will continue to be without Josh Giddey, who is rehabbing a hamstring strain. But the good news is that the guard has made some serious progress in recent days and was even upgraded for the first time this afternoon to "doubtful." The hope is that after a practice with the Windy City Bulls on Sunday, he could be upgraded again ahead of the team's Tuesday night meeting with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The only other change to Chicago injury report came with Patrick Williams. The forward is said to be dealing with an ankle sprain.

Chicago Bulls Injury Report

Patrick Williams – QUESTIONABLE
Josh Giddey – DOUBTFUL
Zach Collins – OUT

Brooklyn Nets

Michael Porter Jr. – OUT (rest)
Drake Powell – OUT (knee)
Zaire Williams – OUT (conditioning)
Haywood Highsmith – OUT (knee)