Grizzlies Vs Bulls: Tip-Off Set for March 16 at United Center as Memphis Tries to Stop Slide
grizzlies vs bulls is on the board for March 16, 2026, with the Memphis Grizzlies (23-43) visiting the Chicago Bulls (27-40) at the United Center. Memphis enters trying to halt a seven-game losing streak, while Chicago comes home with plenty of pressure around where it wants to land in the season’s draft positioning picture. Tip-off is scheduled for 8: 00 p. m. ET in Chicago.
Game time, location, and how to watch Grizzlies Vs Bulls
The matchup is set at the United Center in Chicago, with the Bulls hosting the Grizzlies. The published start time for the game is 8: 00 p. m. ET, and the local listing also places the game at 7: 00 p. m. CT. The watch listing provided for the Chicago market is Chicago Sports Network.
Memphis arrives with a 23-43 record and a seven-game losing streak. Chicago is 27-40 entering the night.
Lineups and injury picture: key absences shape the night
Memphis’ availability concerns are central to the storyline, with multiple season-ending injuries listed: Noa Essengue (shoulder), Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe), and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (finger), each ruled out for the season.
On the Chicago side, the expectation entering the night is that the Bulls are positioned to have “most of its regulars, ” with Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis described as “a full go. ”
Projected starters were also listed for the game:
- Chicago: Josh Giddey, Tre Jones, Matas Buzelis, Leonard Miller, Guerschon Yabusele
- Memphis: Cam Spencer, Jaylen Wells, Cedric Coward, Taylor Hendricks, Olivier-Maxence Prosper
Additional injury notes in the game-day write-up stated that Collin Sexton will miss his fourth straight game due to a leg injury after entering the day questionable. It also stated Isaac Okoro has been ruled out and has not suited up since being a surprise scratch before Chicago’s win over the Golden State Warriors.
Immediate reactions: what the night means inside the United Center
The urgency around the standings is explicit in the framing around the game: only 3. 5 games separate Memphis and Chicago in the current “tank race, ” with the suggestion that a Chicago loss would help its lottery odds and that the teams still have one more head-to-head meeting in the season’s final stretch.
Still, the same preview stressed it is hard to imagine Bulls head coach Billy Donovan is thinking about “ping pong balls, ” describing him as continuing to preach a winning mindset.
Performance notes highlighted the form of two Bulls players: Giddey was credited with three triple-doubles in his last four games, while Buzelis was credited with 20+ points in six of his last eight contests. Separately, one game preview analysis argued an undermanned Memphis roster may struggle to keep pace in Chicago, pointing to Chicago’s recent head-to-head success.
Quick context and what’s next after grizzlies vs bulls
Memphis comes into the night short-handed and sliding, while Chicago’s focus sits at the intersection of competitiveness and draft positioning as the season winds down. The same scheduling notes indicate the teams will meet one more time over the final stretch of games, adding extra weight to this result.
After grizzlies vs bulls tips at 8: 00 p. m. ET, the next developments to watch are straightforward: whether Memphis can finally snap its seven-game skid, and whether Chicago’s push to play regulars and chase wins alters the math around its lottery odds with another head-to-head still ahead.
