The NBA schedule can be grueling, but it offers opportunity. The Portland Trail Blazers suffered a 127-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns Tuesday night. They have a chance less than 24 hours later to get back in the win column when they host the Chicago Bulls tonight at 7:00 PM Pacific.
Opportunities abound for individual players as well, as injuries are opening up larger roles and additional playing time for several young Blazers.
Let’s take a closer look at tonight’s matchup.
The Bulls Report
The story of the Chicago Bulls’
season so far will sound familiar to Blazers fans. They play a fun, fast-paced style led by an ascendant star trying to land one of the eight spots on the International all-star team.
The team got off to a great start, injecting some energy into a Windy City fan base that had suffered through some bleak seasons in recent years. But the early momentum hasn’t been sustainable. After winning six of their first seven games, they came crashing back to reality with five straight losses before a big win on Monday night over the Denver Nuggets.
Unlike the Blazers, the Bulls are actually getting healthier. Coby White, last season’s leading scorer, is expected to be available tonight. He provided a spark in his season debut Sunday, scoring 27 points and eight assists in a double-overtime loss at Utah.
The Blazers Report
The L’s and the injuries are starting to pile up for Portland. Jrue Holiday sat out Tuesday for the second consecutive game with a sore calf, Jerami Grant missed the contest with an illness, and it sounds like Scoot Henderson won’t be back any time soon.
Every team deals with injuries, but some teams are better equipped to withstand them than others. Interim Coach Tiago Splitter admitted after Tuesday night’s blowout that much of their rotation isn’t ready for significant minutes, but acknowledged that it’s his job to put players in a position to succeed.
We’ll see how Splitter adapts Wednesday night. A win over Chicago would provide the young Blazers with some much-needed relief before they head out on another challenging trip through Golden State, Oklahoma City, and Milwaukee.
What you need to Know
Portland Trail Blazers (6-8) vs. Chicago Bulls (7-6) – Wed. Nov 19th – 7:00pm Pacific
How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options on the Rip City Television Network.
How to watch via streaming: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else
How to listen: Rip City Radio 620AM
Trail Blazers Injuries: Scoot Henderson, Damian Lillard, Matisse Thybulle, Blake Wesley (out), Jrue Holiday (doubtful), Jerami Grant (questionable).
Bulls Injuries: Zach Collins (out), Tre Jones (questionable), Jalen Smith (probable).
What to Watch For:
Defense. Earlier this week, our own Dave Deckard explored the question every Blazers fan is asking: what’s going wrong with the Trail Blazers defense?
Here is their defensive rating so far this season:
- October: 110.1 points allowed per 100 possessions (5th best in the NBA)
- November: 121.7 points allowed per 100 possessions (3rd worst in the NBA)
It’s probably unrealistic to think that the Blazers can maintain a Top-5 defense, but there are far too many impactful defenders on the roster for this team to rank near the bottom.
With key defenders out of the lineup, can they provide any resistance against a Chicago team that likes to run?
Giddey Up. Expect a track meet as the Blazers (2nd) and Bulls (3rd) both rank near the top of the NBA in fastest pace of play. Chicago guard Josh Giddey thrives in the open court and is nearly averaging a triple-double with career highs in every major statistical category at 21.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game.
Dunks and Layups. The Blazers drive more than any other team, according to NBA.com statistics. Those drives result in the Blazers attempting the second most shots from within five feet of the basket. Those close-in looks should be available to the Blazers all night against a Bulls defense that struggles to protect the paint. That could be a recipe for big games from Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe.
Portland’s Missed Shots. What Chicago lacks in rim protection, they make up for with solid rebounding. They are second on the defensive glass, corralling 73.5% of their opponent’s misses. The Blazers are second in offensive rebounding percentage, grabbing 35.8% of their own bricks. Something has to give Wednesday night and the rebounding battle on that end of the floor could be a determining factor.
Bench Production. The Bulls have the highest-scoring bench in the NBA at 48.1 points per game, while the Blazers rank 20th at 35.6 points per game. Jerami Grant had been providing most of the second-unit offense for the Blazers, but if he starts in place of Jrue Holiday or can’t go again on Wednesday, they may need to find somebody else to help keep the offense afloat while the starters rest. Caleb Love had 17 points in reserve duty Tuesday night and Yang Hansen added nine in his first NBA game action in three weeks. Can they do it again? Or will another deep bench player step up?
What Others are Saying:
Michael Pina of The Ringer featured the Bulls at the very top of his November 11th column featuring 11 observations from around the NBA. He starts with sarcasm, but goes on to praise their style of play:
Just like we all anticipated, the 6-3 Chicago Bulls are must-see TV, zipping up and down the court, sharing the ball, attacking the rim, and looking like a sum that’s much greater than its individual parts. According to Sportradar, the Bulls lead the league in percentage of possessions that include four or more passes. They keep working possessions until the defense breaks, flowing from action to action, constantly moving, cutting, and screening for one another.
ESPN’s Zach Kram and Kevin Pelton divided the 30 NBA teams into seven tiers, with the Blazers landing in “Tier 5: The Muddled Middle” behind eight Western Conference rivals and above six others:
As the lone Western Conference team in this middling tier, Portland doesn’t have the top-end talent to match the West teams in higher tiers, but the bottom of the conference is shaky enough that the running, pressing Trail Blazers should make the play-in tournament with ease.
