Ziaire Williams

Brooklyn Nets (12-27, 13th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Chicago Bulls (19-22, 10th in the Eastern Conference)Chicago; Sunday, 7 p.m. ESTBOTTOM LINE: Brooklyn hits the road against Chicago looking to break its four-game road slide.The Bulls have gone 13-15 against Eastern Conference teams. Chicago ranks second in the league with 35.0 defensive rebounds per game led by Josh Giddey averaging 7.8.The Nets are 9-16 against Eastern Conference opponents. Brooklyn is 8-19 in games decided by 10 or more points.The Bulls score 117.3 points per game, 3.5 more points than the 113.8 the Nets allow. The Nets' 44.6% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.8 percentage points lower than the Bulls have given up to their opponents (47.4%).The two teams play for the third time this season. The Nets defeated the Bulls 112-109 in their last matchup on Jan. 17. Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 26 points, and Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with 19 points.TOP PERFORMERS: Matas Buzelis is averaging 14.8 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Bulls. Vucevic is averaging 20.3 points over the last 10 games.Noah Clowney is shooting 38.9% and averaging 13.3 points for the Nets. Egor Demin is averaging 3.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.LAST 10 GAMES: Bulls: 4-6, averaging 112.4 points, 44.7 rebounds, 29.2 assists, 6.5 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.7 points per game.Nets: 2-8, averaging 106.5 points, 39.7 rebounds, 24.0 assists, 9.2 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 43.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.0 points.INJURIES: Bulls: Noa Essengue: out for season (shoulder), Josh Giddey: day to day (hamstring), Zach Collins: out (toe), Patrick Williams: day to day (ankle).Nets: Haywood Highsmith: out (knee), Ziaire Williams: day to day (illness).___The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

After missing four games with an illness, Williams is now in the "return to competition conditioning" phase of his recovery. Drake Powell, who's started the last two games, and Nolan Traore have seen their minutes increase recently, and that should continue to be the case the rest of the season.

Demin will get a maintenance day due to a left plantar fascia issue, and Thomas will get one for a lingering left hamstring injury. Brooklyn plays again on Wednesday and Friday before another back-to-back set on Sunday and Monday. Ziaire Williams (illness) will sit out Monday, but Drake Powell (knee) is back after sitting out Sunday. Powell, Tyrese Martin and Terance Mann should all see increased run with Demin, Thomas and Williams out of action.

While Nic Claxton (personal) is available, his minutes restriction keeps Sharpe in the starting lineup for another game. The other change is Williams, who steps in for Terance Mann. While he isn't a must-roster player, Williams has been more productive than Mann recently.