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Jalen Smith Probable
Zach Collins Out
Tre Hones Questionable
Jrue Holiday Questionable
Jerami Grant Questionable
Scoot Henderson Out
Blake Wesley Out
Matisse Thybulle Out
Damian Lillard Out
Well, the bright spots for these teams have faded recently. These teams started off strong, but both are now slipping into fairly significant losing streaks. The Bulls just ended a five-game losing streak with a win against Denver on Monday. Now, with a single day of rest, they are facing Portland to close out their four-game road trip. However, Portland is coming off a tough loss to the Suns last night, and with a number of injuries still affecting the team, this should be an interesting matchup.
The Bulls are coming into this game fairly healthy compared to where they have been. They recently got Coby White back into the mix, which adds to an already formidable scoring team. They’ve struggled to keep other teams contained, though, letting scores spiral out of control. They’re allowing opponents to score nearly 122 points per game, and Portland is giving up almost the same, so that should even things out. On the flip side, the Bulls are scoring nearly 122 points themselves on average. With both teams being so evenly matched, Portland is in the same boat. The one area where the Bulls really beat Portland is three-point shooting. They’re nearly shooting 40% from three, while Portland is struggling to hit even 33%. Combine this with much better playmaking from Chicago, and their superior rebounding should give them a clear advantage. However, the Bulls need to be mindful of the press Portland is running. They’ve been applying a full-court press almost the entire game, which has been somewhat effective, but with so many ball handlers, it shouldn’t be much of an issue for the Bulls. Overall, this is Chicago's game to lose if they play down to their competition, especially if Portland is still without Holiday and Grant.
For Portland, things have been bleak. The defense has been consistently declining, while the offense has been dreadful. They’ve basically just settled for shooting a ton of threes and seeing how it goes on offense. With none of their point guards healthy the last few games, their playmaking has been terrible. They’re turning the ball over left and right, and they can’t get much going outside of ISO ball on offense. It’s been a collapse for a team that looked so bright earlier this year. However, this is still a dangerous group, especially if Holiday is playing. If they can just get 30 minutes out of him, the Portland offense might spring back to life. That’s a big IF on him returning though.
This matchup will be a tough one to call. While both teams are healthy, Portland likely has a slight edge. However, with so much uncertainty around player availability and Portland on the second night of a back-to-back, it’s hard to trust them. Looking at the offensive numbers tells a story of a completely inefficient team. Although Chicago has struggled on the road, this is a game they need to steal back. They have the personnel to break down Portland's struggling defense and bury them before they can even try to get back on offense. Because of that, I’m going with the Bulls moneyline, the under on the 244.5 points total, and Chicago at -2.5.
Money line: CHI (-142) / POR (+120)
Total Points: 244.5
Spread: -2.5 CHI (-115) / +2.5 POR (-105)
Giddey has been nothing but a revelation this year in Chicago. We’re seeing a different side of Giddey as the glue guy. He’s been connecting with teammates at an elite level while getting to the basket himself. Averaging 9.4 assists per game this season already places him at the top of the league, only trailing Cade Cunningham and Nikola Jokic. Especially with the current state of Portland and how porous their interior defense has been, Giddey should be able to hit 9 assists tonight.
While the team hasn’t seen much success lately, Sharpe has been getting to the rim at will. With so few playmakers or even guards to pass to, Sharpe had the green light to attack whenever he wanted. While the three-pointers are yet to hit anything remotely close to efficient at just 26% for the season, he’s still averaging 44% from the field, showing how lethal he is inside the arc. Considering how much scoring Chicago allows, Sharpe should be in for another solid scoring night.
Clingan has been a bit of an enigma this season. While he can rack up rebounds easily, Portland doesn’t seem sure what to do with him. He’s frequently pulled out to defend three-point shots, which opens up the paint. Instead of having him stay back in drop coverage, they often opt to go small. That has kept Clingan from reaching a true starting workload, and he's playing under 30 minutes a game. Facing Chicago will be tough, especially with their scoring and Vucevic’s range on the other side. I don’t expect Clingan to get a big run tonight, so he’ll probably stay under that amount.
While Vucevic has cooled off significantly from last year, he’s still the type of player that can give Portland trouble. Big centers who can shoot with a soft touch have torched Portland this year; just look at what DeAndre Ayton did. Considering Portland's interior defense has been somewhat of a mess, Vucevic’s ability to hit from outside should give him a good chance against Portland. He should also see plenty of second-chance opportunities with how the Bulls attack the offensive glass.