The biggest unknown is AJ Dybantsa. The No. 1 overall pick sprained his left ankle in the preseason finale against New Orleans and has missed both games so far. Brian Keefe calls it day-to-day with no firm timetable, and Saturday in Chicago was named as the next chance for a return. Without Dybantsa, Washington leans on Davis, Trae Young, Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly and Tre Johnson. That group was good enough to beat Milwaukee and not good enough against Toronto.
Chicago's win in Milwaukee showed it can score. Norman Powell had 25 and rookie Caleb Wilson added 21, and a 44-point 2nd quarter erased the early hole. The Bulls hung 132 on the Bucks without Nic Claxton, who is out with a hamstring injury and will be re-evaluated in 2 weeks. The problem is that Claxton's absence leaves the Bulls thin at center against Davis, who just showed what he can do when nobody can match up with him.
Washington is also missing Tristan Vukcevic (hip, re-evaluated in 4 weeks) and Jamir Watkins (torn ACL, surgery), so the frontcourt depth behind Davis and Sarr is thin too. That makes this a shootout risk. Chicago gave up 135 in Toronto, Washington gave up 116 to Milwaukee, and on a second night of a back-to-back the defense is usually the first thing to slip.
Tipoff is 7:00 PM CT. Through 2 games, the Wizards look like the team with the best player on the floor and the Bulls look like the team with more scorers. Whether Dybantsa plays and how Chicago handles Davis without Claxton probably decides it.