The Chicago Bulls aim for redemption tonight after suffering their fourth loss of the season at Oracle Arena last Friday. Standing in their way are the Portland Trail Blazers, who are fresh off impressive victories over the Clippers and Lakers. Who takes home the glory in this one? Will the Bulls bounce back? Or will the Blazers keep rolling?
Read on below for a detailed breakdown of this game, and while you’re at it, check out our preview of the Indiana Pacers vs. Washington Wizards.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Chicago Bulls vs. Portland Trail Blazers Preview
Where: Moda Center at the Rose Quarter, Portland, Oregon
When: Tuesday, November 24, 2015, 10:00 PM ET
Line: Chicago Bulls (-2) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (+2); total: 212.5 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: TNT
Betting on the Chicago Bulls (8-4)
After winning their previous four games, the Chicago Bulls were sent back down to earth on Friday night as they fell to the Golden State Warriors, 106-94. Stephen Curry, the reigning MVP, led the charge with 27 points, five rebounds and four assists. Now, the Bulls will look to move on from this setback when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers for the second game of their four-game road trip.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Bulls will be getting an extra boost later with Derrick Rose expected to make his return from a left ankle sprain which forced him to miss the team’s previous two contests. Rose has yet to find his old MVP-winning form; however, he’s averaging respectable numbers of 13.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 6.0 APG this year.
Apart from Rose, the Bulls have the duo of Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol to lead their offense that’s averaging 100.5 PPG, good for sixth-best in the Eastern Conference.
Butler, who’s the team’s top scorer this season with 21.0 PPG, will strive to build on his performance versus the Warriors, during which he had 28 points, nine boards and seven dimes under his name. Gasol, on the other hand, has been doing almost everything on both sides of the court, averaging 13.8 PPG, 9.7 RPG and 2.3 APG while blocking at least two shots per game.
But their defense (99.4 points allowed per game) could be the deciding factor in this contest. The Bulls ought to limit the backcourt tandem of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, which is averaging 45.6 PPG combined across 15 games, if they wish to come out on top.
Chicago hasn’t won a game at Portland since 2007 and is 3-3 SU and ATS on the road this season.
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Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers (6-9)
It’s been the Damian Lillard show for the Portland Trail Blazers lately. He had another spectacular performance opposite the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night, tallying a game-high of 30 points and a career-high of 13 assists to help his team capture the commanding 107-93 road win. Up next for the Blazers is an impending clash with the visiting Chicago Bulls this evening.
With Lillard clearly their main offensive threat, the Bulls defense is bound to put a lot of their attention on him. If that’s the case, someone else from the Blazers needs to step up later and carry some of the scoring load. C.J. McCollum may very well be that guy, as he’s been outstanding this season.
McCollum, who only averaged 6.8 PPG in his sophomore year, seems to have already earned his team’s trust. He’s posting impressive numbers of 20.1 PPG with 3.1 RPG and 3.6 APG thus far this season and has blended quite well with Lillard in the backcourt.
Meanwhile, another name that deserves some attention from the Bulls would be Blazers center Mason Plumlee. Plumlee is coming off two-straight double-double efforts and is contributing 10.8 PPG and 8.1 RPG on the year. He could certainly provide the Blazers a much-needed low-post presence that they sorely need.
Portland has won 11 of the past 13 meetings with Chicago.
Writer’s Prediction
Chicago wins a nail-biter, 99-95. Create a betting account now and put your NBA predictions to the test!
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