Thursday NBA: Bulls (31-32) at Magic (45-20)

A few weeks ago, tonight’s TNT opener between Chicago and Orlando looked like a great potential first-round playoff matchup. Now? Expect a Magic blowout, and they have opened as 11-point home favorites on WagerWeb.com.

While the Magic have won six games in a row and appear clearly established as the No. 2 team in the East, the Bulls are battered and plummeting in the East, having lost five in a row and having fallen to ninth in the conference. The Bulls remain without center Joakim Noah, and Chicago’s defense has turned atrocious, allowing at least 100 points in eight consecutive games. And the Bulls might be without two more starters tonight. Small forward Luol Deng, the team’s second-leading scorer, suffered a Grade 1 or 2 strain of his right calf muscle in Tuesday’s rout by Utah, while center Brad Miller hurt his left thumb and power forward Taj Gibson had a setback with plantar fasciitis (the same problem hampering Noah).

All through have traveled with the team on the trip, but Deng certainly won’t play tonight, with barely-used rookie James Johnson to start. Miller should play through his injury, basically because he has to. And Gibson has been playing through his problem but was completely ineffective against the Jazz. He is questionable tonight, with Hakim Warrick to start for him if he can’t go.

The Magic’s Dwight Howard should be a man among boys tonight. Howard has 51 double-doubles this season. He had 18 points and 14 rebounds in 25 minutes of a 107-87 win Feb. 10 with Noah out. In the previous matchup with Noah in the lineup, Howard was held to nine points and 12 rebounds in a 101-93 loss Jan. 2.

“We’re going to have to junk the game up as best we can,” Coach Vinny Del Negro said of the lack of bodies. “Maybe we can get a couple of guys with a hot hand or change up some defensive coverages.”

So basically Derrick Rose has to dominate tonight for Chicago to even cover. The Bulls and Magic have split two games this year, but Orlando crushed Chicago right before the All-Star Break in a game that Rose went down with an injury. The Magic have won four straight in this series at home.

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