Power Ranking Bulls' Most Important Games of 2023-24 NBA Regular Season
Expectations for the Chicago Bulls aren't exactly enormous heading into the 2023-24 NBA season.
Not outside of the organization, at least.
The Bulls have seemingly been on an endless decline since losing Lonzo Ball to a knee injury back in Jan. 2022. They were swiftly knocked out of the opening round that season, and in this past season, they couldn't escape the play-in tournament.
Chicago's front office has nonetheless remain committed to this core, clearly indicating some belief—or, at the very least, hope—that this club is capable of more. The following five games, which have been subjectively ranked by their order of importance, will help determine whether that belief is rooted in substance or not.
5. Mar. 13 at Indiana Pacers
1 of 5
The Central Division, where both the Bulls and the Pacers reside, could be a scary place this season. The Milwaukee Bucks are on everyone's short list of championship contenders, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are aiming to build off of their 51-win effort last season.
The last thing Chicago needs is another challenger rising to the surface. Indiana has ample opportunity to make that happen, though, with a talented young roster led by soaring star Tyrese Haliburton. While it's possible the Pacers aren't quite ready to rise yet, they did go 3-1 against the Bulls last season, so they may be closer to competitive than people think.
Chicago will need all the division wins it can get, since it's unlikely to separate from the East's crowded middle class and therefore could see any number of tie-breaking scenarios come into play. While you could probably put any one of the four Pacers-Bulls games here, this looks particularly tricky on the schedule, as it comes on the first night of a back-to-back and only four days removed from a tough West Coast road trip featuring games against the Kings, Jazz, Warriors and Clippers.
4. Dec. 30 vs. Philadelphia 76ers
2 of 5
If the Bulls are going to have the kind of season that justifies their investment in this nucleus, they need to knock-off direct competitors like the 76ers.
While most people (especially those who don't reside in the Windy City) would likely rank Philly above Chicago heading into the season, it's certainly possible the two wind up within arm's reach of one another by its end. Both are among the cluster of teams hoping to have a top-four seed and home-court advantage in the first round.
The Bulls will both close out 2023 and open 2024 against the Sixers in a home-road series. Getting this contest—the last of a season-long six-game homestand—would be a huge momentum lift and a tremendous way to finish the year.
3. Apr. 14 at New York Knicks
3 of 5
While you could point toward strictly measuring-stick matchups against the NBA's very best teams, the Bulls really need to handle opponents who seem most likely to land near them in the standings.
And there are absolutely scenarios in which Chicago and New York wind up in direct competition for a specific playoff seed, possibly the No. 6 spot, which allows teams to bypass the unpredictable play-in tournament.
If the Knicks and Bulls are in close proximity in the conference standings, this race will go down to the wire. They'll play three times in the season's final nine days, closing out with this finale.
2. Dec. 11 at Milwaukee Bucks
4 of 5
If the Bulls are going to be better than anyone thinks, the month of December could be the first sign of that materializing.
This game, which directly follows the final leg of the new in-season tournament, kicks off perhaps Chicago's toughest stretch of the season. After visiting the Bucks—a heavyweight contender and Central Division rival—the Bulls will host the defending champion Denver Nuggets the following night, then play two road games in Miami and one in Philly before returning home to face the Los Angeles Lakers.
That's a tall task for any team, but if the Bulls get it started on the right foot, maybe that's enough to power them through a surprisingly strong showing.
1. Feb. 14 at Cleveland Cavaliers
5 of 5
The Cavaliers are both a division rival and a team the Bulls could be directly competing with for playoff positioning. The four games these two clubs will play will help shape the conference standings.
Chicago had no answers for Cleveland last season. The Bulls were swept 4-0 and only one of those contests was decided by fewer than eight points. More than anything, Chicago couldn't contain star guard Donovan Mitchell, who averaged 36.8 points on 54/41.2/84.8 shooting, plus 7.8 assists and 7.5 rebounds in those matchups.
The Bulls can't climb the East ladder without surpassing teams that were ahead of them, and the Cavs would be perhaps the most beneficial to conquer, since in-division performance is such a big factor for tie-breaking scenarios. All four of their meetings will be critical, but this outing—the final stop on a four-game road trip for Chicago and its last outing before the All-Star break—feels the biggest on the entire schedule.
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