The Chicago Bulls head into TD Garden on Monday, January 5, 2026, short-handed and staring down the NBA’s hottest team of the week. Their full starting backcourt has been hit by injuries ahead of tip-off against the Boston Celtics, turning a tough road game into a test of depth, patience, and poise.

Chicago is hovering around .500 — listed as either 17-18 or 16-17 across outlets — and enters on a one-game slide after a 99-112 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on January 3. Boston sits at 22-12 and rolls in on a three-game win streak, fresh off a 146-115 statement win over the Clippers. The context matters: one team is patching holes; the other is purring.

Bulls injury report vs Celtics: Giddey out, White iffy

Starting point guard Josh Giddey will not play due to a left hamstring strain suffered in Monday’s loss to Minnesota. As the team put it, “Starting point guard Josh Giddey will be on the shelf with a hamstring strain. Chicago is set to reexamine him in two weeks.” He was hurt early in the third quarter of that Wolves game.

Coby White, who exited in the first quarter of the same game with right calf tightness, is listed as questionable for Boston. The club’s timetable is cautious: “The team said Wednesday that Giddey will be reevaluated in two weeks and White in one.”

There is hope, but no hurry. As one report framed the players’ own tone: “Each player sounded optimistic about the rehab process that awaits. At the same time, neither sounded particularly confident about when they could return to the floor.”

• Josh Giddey — left hamstring strain; out, re-eval in two weeks
• Coby White — right calf tightness; questionable, re-eval in one week
• Zach Collins — right toe sprain; re-eval in 10 days
• Noa Essengue — left shoulder surgery; out for the season
• Trentyn Flowers — right knee sprain
• Jalen Smith — concussion
• Emanuel Miller — hamstring

For Boston, Lachlan Olbrich is listed as questionable with an ankle issue.

“This game is going to tell us a lot about the Bulls’ depth and shot creation.”

Why Giddey’s absence stings — and why White’s status matters

Giddey has been the Bulls’ engine. He averages 19.2 points on .466/.386/.761 shooting splits, 9.0 assists, and 8.9 rebounds, with seven triple-doubles already this season. He’s the organizer and the pace-setter. Without him, Chicago must manufacture touches and easy looks by committee.

White’s status is the swing factor. He is averaging 19.2 points and is playing on an expiring $12.9 million deal. When he’s on the floor, he stretches the defense and can take over a quarter with quick scoring bursts. If he can’t go, that’s almost 40 points per game worth of backcourt production sidelined.

How Chicago can cope without its starting backcourt

Expect the offense to lean into size and playmaking in the frontcourt. Recent form numbers show Nikola Vucevic at 22.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists, a profile that fits a high-post hub. Wing Matas Buzelis has also posted 19.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists of late, hinting at secondary creation if he’s asked to initiate sets.

That inside-out model can steady the ship. It slows the game, uses the glass, and hunts mismatches. But it also demands sharp spacing and decisive cutting from everyone else. Without Giddey’s live-dribble gravity, Chicago must win the passing lanes and the possession game.

“If Vooch is the de facto point, the Bulls have to punish Boston’s switches at the rim, not just settle for jumpers.”

Celtics form guide: Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are rolling

The Celtics’ stars enter in rhythm. Jaylen Brown is on a heater at 39.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 3.5 threes in recent outings. Derrick White’s two-way imprint reads 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 2.0 blocks, and 3.5 threes in that same window. Boston just hung 146 on the Clippers. Confidence is high, ball movement is crisp, and the three-point line is a weapon.

For Chicago, the first mission is transition defense. The second is guarding without fouling. Live-ball turnovers become instant points against a team that cuts and shoots like Boston. Keeping it in the half court, where Vucevic can organize the defense and the Bulls can dictate matchups, is the recipe.

“Jaylen is cooking — if Coby sits, who soaks up 20 shots for Chicago and keeps pace?”

Recent losses frame the challenge — and the opportunity

Chicago’s last two results tell the story. The 99-112 loss to Charlotte showed how thin the margin is without a full guard rotation. The 136-101 defeat to Minnesota is when the injuries piled up: Giddey in the third, White in the first. Those exits didn’t just shift a game; they changed the next two weeks.

With Giddey out at least two weeks and White on a one-week check-in, the Bulls are entering a mini-survival stretch. The goal is simple: hold ground near .500, steal a win or two against elite opponents, and buy time for their creators to heal.

What a good night looks like for the Bulls

• Win the glass and limit extra possessions
• Play through Vucevic at the elbow and post
• Get Buzelis touches on the move to stress Boston’s help
• Keep turnovers under control to protect the transition defense
• Find 25+ combined points from role players to replace guard scoring

This sounds simple, but the Celtics’ discipline makes it hard. Still, a grind-it-out game suits a short-handed road team. If Chicago’s defense travels and the paint touches are steady, a fourth-quarter coin flip is possible.

“Survive this two-week stretch and the season stays right in front of them.”

Big picture: Near .500, with everything to play for

The record discrepancy across outlets (17-18 or 16-17) doesn’t change the truth: the Bulls are a game off even and within reach of a climb. Getting Giddey and White healthy is the priority. Giddey’s all-around game and White’s scoring balance Chicago’s offense and keep the ball moving.

There’s no panic in the timelines. But there is urgency in the standings. A gritty performance in Boston, even short-handed, would say plenty about the Bulls’ resilience. The next two weeks are about staying connected, defending with force, and trusting the system until the guards return.

On Monday night, it’s the league’s form team against a club trying to steady itself. That contrast makes the matchup compelling — and gives Chicago a clean, simple target: make it ugly, make it slow, and make it close.