Seattle (5-16) at Chicago (6-12)

When: 5:30 p.m., United Center, Chicago

TV: FSN. Radio: 770-AM

Series: Seattle lost both contests last season, a 99-84 setback in Chicago and a 107-101 defeat in Seattle.

Scouting the Bulls: After starting the season 2-10, the Bulls have won four of their last six games. But Chicago hosts the Sonics after suffering a disheartening 92-81 loss to Boston on Saturday.

The Bulls were supposed to contend for the Eastern Conference crown this season, but poor shooting has been the primary cause of Chicago’s struggles so far. The Bulls are last in the league in scoring (89.27 points a contest) and last in field goal shooting percentage (39.8 percent).

Chicago’s poor shooting numbers included three of its primary players in the starting lineup in Ben Gordon (37.3 percent), Kirk Hinrich (35 percent) and Ben Wallace (35 percent).

"You can lose sleep over it but is pretty simple. We have to make shots. You have to step up and make them," coach Scott Skiles told USA Today. "In the games we have struggled to make shots, a common denominator has been our ballhandling and our passing. We are making it tough on our shooters."

Gordon (17.6 points a game) leads the Bulls in scoring and Wallace (9.1 rebounds a game) leads the Bulls in rebounding.

Scouting the Sonics: Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said Luke Ridnour should play again tonight, which is a good thing because Seattle will need some help at the guard spot against Chicago’s three-guard tandem of Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich and Chris Duhon.

Carlesimo said the key to the game will be keeping Chicago’s quick guards from penetrating, and holding the Bulls’ big guys off of the boards.

Delonte West and Robert Swift will be inactive tonight.

Defensively, except for the first half of the New Orleans game, Seattle has been better of late. The Sonics have moved up to tied for seventh in the league in opponents’ field goal percentage (44.3).

Carlesimo said the difference is guys are trusting each other to help when they get beat, and the team has developed better communication and defensive chemistry over time.

Listen to the rest of Carlesimo’s conversation here.

Rookie Kevin Durant also talked about playing in the United Center for the first time ? the house that Michael Jordan built.

"I don’t think anybody could do what he did in this gym. Nobody," Durant said. "I don’t care who you are. I mean a guy like Jordan, I guess I would say he made this arena. You can’t think about trying to compete with a guy like that. So I’ll just go out there and play my game and try to have fun."

Listen to the rest of Durant’s conversation with the Chicago media here.

Next: Wednesday at New York, 4:30 p.m., Madison Square Garden