Will Donovan Mitchell Play Tonight? Utah Jazz vs Chicago Bulls: Injuries, Lineups, and Game Prediction

Utah Jazz is looking every bit rusty coming back from the All-Star break. They’ve lost two of their last five games, allowing the Raptors to almost scare them in a closely contested outing. The Bulls, on the other hand, have been even more vulnerable, losing important ties because of their clutch-time woes. 

While the Jazz are looking to expand their dominance, the Bulls will be hungrier than ever if they wish to enter the Top 8 this week. With the sudden rise of the Hawks, the Bulls do not have much time to pick up pace, and they will want to stun Donovan Mitchell just as Curry and his side recently did.

Utah Jazz vs Chicago Bulls: Injury updates and lineup prediction

As a little surprise, Rudy Gobert is listed as a day-to-day decision ahead of the Monday night game. He scored a 15-point double-double against the Raptors but showed signs of some issues with his hip, which will keep him questionable.

Probable lineup – Royce O’Neale (PF), Bojan Bogdanovic (SF), Derrick Favors (C), Donovan Mitchell (SG), Mike Conley Jr (PG)

The Bulls are fortunately one of the very few teams in the NBA this season with no injury trouble. Apart from Garrett Temple’s ankle injury, they have nothing new on the updated list. 

Probable lineup – Patrick Williams (SF), Lauri Markkanen (PF), Thaddeus Young (C), Zach LaVine (SG), Tomáš Satoranský (PG)

Who will win this matchup?

The Bulls have just closed in on the Detroit Pistons. But that victory would not wipe the memory of a close loss against the Nuggets. They were 103-89 ahead of the Nuggets with eight minutes remaining in the game when Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic forced an OT. Similarly, earlier in the week, they lost their lead against the Spurs and gave them a chance to rise in Q4.

On a positive note, Zach LaVine has been phenomenal this season, averaging 28.3 points at 52% shooting. Rookie Patrick Williams has also been very productive for them, with veteran Thaddeus and youngster Lauri Markkanen taking control of the defense. 

With the Jazz, just as Ben Simmons has pointed out, Rudy Gobert is amazing as a center, but he is not guarding one through fives. Plus, in his absence, the Jazz do not have another reliable centerpiece. Donovan Mitchell will obviously remain the key offensive star, but it will be the shooter in Mike Conley that can make all the difference.

We predict Jazz will take this game quite comfortably away from the Bulls.