The Chicago Bulls play host to the Phoenix Suns at United Center on Saturday.

The Suns (22-34) come into this matchup losing seven of their last nine games and stretches like that have become way too common for this organization. After getting off to a promising start, Phoenix now finds themselves nearly out of playoff contention altogether. What makes that really frustrating is the fact that this team is full of young talent. Players like Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton make for a nice core while Ricky Rubio and Kelly Oubre Jr compliment those guys brilliantly. Why it hasn't led to wins is up for debate but this franchise simply has a losing mentality. That makes one wonder just how long all of these guys will stick around and it would be really sad if Booker leaves like many people expect him to do.

The Bulls (19-37) come into this matchup in the midst of a seven-game winning streak and it's plummeted any playoff hopes that this team once had. They now find themselves 5.5 games back of the Orlando Magic in eighth and that's quite the margin to make up with only 26 games remaining. While coaching has been a major issue, the injuries certainly haven't helped either. Wendell Carter Jr, Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn and Otto Porter have all missed significant time this season and it's absolutely crippled this frontcourt. Anyone would struggle with all of those absences and the really annoying part about it is that it's stunted the growth of many of these young players.

This is actually the first meeting between these teams. Chicago swept the two-game season series last year which followed up a season sweep by Phoenix in the year prior.