The Bulls eye their second straight victory

The Chicago Bulls have won five of their last seven games overall. Last Thursday, the Bulls closed down a three-game road trip during which they’ve sandwiched a 109-91 defeat against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a pair of wins at the San Antonio Spurs 122-116 and the Toronto Raptors 116-110.

Chicago made 50.6% of its field goals against Toronto. The Bulls posted an excellent 30/12 assist-to-turnover ratio while outscoring the Raptors 74-50 in the paint. DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic accounted for 24 points each, and Coby White added 23 points.

The Bulls are ninth in the Eastern Conference, a game and a half ahead of the No. 10 seed. They rank 22nd in the league in adjusted offensive efficiency (113.1 points per 100 possessions) and 15th in adjusted defensive efficiency (115.2).

The Grizzlies couldn’t cope with the Timberwolves

The Memphis Grizzlies opened a four-game road trip last Thursday. They suffered a 118-103 loss at the top seed in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was the Grizzlies’ third defeat in four games.

Minnesota outscored Memphis 37-17 in the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies finished the game with an underwhelming 22/15 assist-to-turnover ratio while going 14-for-34 from beyond the 3-point line. Jaren Jackson Jr. went off for 36 points, and Luke Kennard added 18 points.

The Grizzlies, who have struggled with injuries all season, are 13th in the Western Conference. They trail the No. 10 seed by 5.5 games. The Grizzlies score 108.1 points per 100 possessions (29th in the NBA) while allowing 113.3 points in return (8th).