Kings at Bulls
THE STORY: The Chicago Bulls are finally home; the Sacramento Kings are hitting the road. The teams meet Tuesday as the Bulls open a six-game homestand while the Kings start a six-game road trip. Chicago went 6-3 on its nine-game road trip that ended with a 95-91 loss Sunday in Boston. The Bulls haven't played at home since Jan. 27. The Kings, who are 3-12 on the road, won’t play another home game until Feb. 28.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CS California (Kings), WCIU (Bulls)
ABOUT THE KINGS (10-17): Sacramento has won four of six since losing five in a row. The Kings fell flat in a 98-84 home loss to Phoenix on Saturday. The defeat showed Sacramento is in trouble when leading scorer Tyreke Evans has a bad night. He was held to a season-low four points and shot 1 for 9 from the field while being guarded by 39-year-old Grant Hill for most of the game. Evans averaged 21.4 points in his previous seven games.
ABOUT THE BULLS (23-7): The condition of point guard Derrick Rose's back is the big story in Chicago. The reigning MVP in the league has missed the last two games, but no structural damage was found after he visited a specialist Monday. Rose, who is listed as day to day, has missed seven games this season because of back and toe injuries. Since Chicago has the best record in the Eastern Conference, there is no need to rush him back into action.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Bulls defeated the Kings in Sacramento 108-98 on Dec. 29. Rose scored 19 points while Sacramento started the game by missing 12 of its first 13 shots. Chicago has won three straight and six of seven in the series.
2. Kings center DeMarcus Cousins is averaging 20.8 points and 13.6 rebounds in the last five games.
3. Sunday's loss snapped Chicago's five-game winning streak. The last four victories were by an average of 25.5 points.