The Brooklyn Nets faced the excellent Orlando Magic at home on Sunday afternoon.

The opponent is still stuck in the middle tonight. The Chicago Bulls are incredibly far from keeping up, but they keep going. They took on the Boston Celtics on Friday night and lost 138-129. They’ve been gone since then.

Where can you watch the game?

YES network on TV. WFAN on the radio. Tip after 8:00 p.m. ET.

Injuries

No Cam Thomas, Bojan Bogdanovic, Cam Johnson, Ben Simmons, Noah Clowney, Dorian Finney-Smith Ziaire Williams or Jaylen Martin. Cam Johnson was questionable with an ankle injury but was sidelined late. That means players out. However, Day’Ron Sharpe will make his season debut tonight after battling a hamstring strain. Will he have a minutes restriction?

Patrick Williams is out. Coby White is questionable with a left ankle sprain.

The game

Brooklyn won the first game in November.

It’s a blessing to see Lonzo Ball back on the court. He has been sidelined in recent years due to various knee and leg problems. He’s back now and looking to re-establish himself as a premier point guard in the NBA. The numbers aren’t solid yet, but who cares? It’s good to have him back.

At some point, the Bulls will have to figure out what to do with Josh Giddey. We know his deficiencies on offense (and the negativity that comes from his legal trouble), but if he can’t offer you anything on defense either, you’re in trouble. Stephen Noh from the Sports News fills us in:

Defensively, Giddey is a solid rebounder, but he has been targeted because he has difficulty staying at the top of his job. He’s also not a rim protector. Despite his size, he is not athletic enough to get into position early enough to play the ball. His effort is also astounding – he has given up several games this season after making a mental error that resulted in opponents going out easily.

If you can’t bring a plus on defense when you’re negative on offense, you’ve got a big problem on your hands. Giddey is only 22 years old, but one is starting to wonder if he will be able to fulfill his potential in the lottery.

Giddey’s poor defense is part of Chicago’s overall defensive problems. The Bulls are allowing 118.4 points per 100 possessions, second-worst in the league. What was such a nuisance for the Bulls? Perimeter defense. Chicago allows 39.4 three-pointers per game, third-most in the league. The teams made 35 percent of their threes against the Bulls, ninth-most in the NBA. Luckily for the Nets, they’re a team that loves taking threes, so they’ll have plenty of chances to make them fly.

The second night in a row is always difficult. This is even more true when you are as shorthanded as the Nets. Cam Johnson hurt his ankle yesterday, but he’ll try to battle it tonight.

With the Nets missing so many bigs, it’s no wonder they’re at the bottom of the rebounding rankings. That will prove particularly problematic tonight against net enemy Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic currently ranks 15th in the NBA in rebounds with a solid 10 per game. Vuc has caused a lot of trouble over the years, and the team will need a big night from Nic Claxton if they want to compete on the interior.

Player to Watch: Zach Lavine

So I’m not sure where to put Lavine these days. We know what he is, and chances are it won’t get any better. He’s only 29 years old, but it feels like time is running out for him to make an impact on a playoff team. Your friendly Bulls blogger helps me put Lavine in perspective:

As I keep saying, it’s not up to LaVine to change his “narrative.” The only reputation improvement that matters is improving other teams’ offerings. And I don’t think half of a pointless season with this oddly fitting roster will change anyone’s mind.

What LaVine has proven in his start this year is that he wasn’t ruined by that foot surgery. However, I don’t think this was a serious concern for anyone. He still has the ability to score goals at three levels, works best when creating his own shots, offers nothing other than scoring goals and can’t be trusted late in games.”

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Teams seem unlikely to come knocking for Lavine during trade season, so he’ll have to figure things out here and now.

With Thomas out, Jalen Wilson got the start yesterday. It was a tough day at the office for the second-year pro

Growth is about learning from your mistakes and doing everything you can to avoid them a second time.

From the safe

The WWE Survivor Series took place in Vancouver on Saturday evening. With that in mind, let’s take a look at Diesel and Bret Hart fighting for the WWF Title!

Read more: Blog a Bull, SB Nation NBA