Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls are home to host Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night, and if you're wondering how you can ...
Tonight, our 24-27 Chicago Bulls will host one of the league's other depressingly “mid” teams with one All-Star, the 26-26 Portland Trail Blazers.
After getting a long-term NBA commitment for the first time this summer, journeyman reserve guard Gary Payton II has missed all but 12 games for Portland this season, and is out with a non-COVID-19 illness. It’d be nice if the Bulls’ best player could return to his King of the Fourth clutch-ness tonight. Portland will be without starting five Jusuf Nurkic, who will be shelved through the All-Star break with a left calf strain. As always, the big issue with this Chicago team is three-point shooting, on both ends: the Bulls’ perimeter defense without Lonzo Ball has been lacking (Alex Caruso can only play so many minutes, after all) as has its volume of triples attempted per game. Portland’s prolific undersized starting backcourt of Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons combined for 62 points on 20-of-39 shooting (12-of-22 from deep) to pilot the winning effort. along with the rest of the NBA.
The Portland Trail Blazers remain on the road trip to take on the Chicago Bulls! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Blazers-Bulls prediction ...
Both are crucial to this team’s success, especially Nurkic who is one of the best overall big men in the NBA. Chicago is also dealing with the injury bug. The Chicago Bulls are close to breaking altogether. The Blazers are dealing with some nagging injuries as the All-Star break is about to begin in a week. Portland improved to (26-26) on the season which places them 10th in the Western Conference. However, Damian Lillard and company ended up winning 124-166 Friday night to stun the home crowd in DC.
The Chicago Bulls overcame a pair of less-than-stellar performances from stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine to record their fifth win in their last eight ...
Our best bet and prediction for Saturday's Bulls vs. Trail Blazers game, with odds via Bet MGM.
Trail Blazers: Gary Payton II (calf) is day-to-day. Bulls: Nikola Vucevic (left quad) is probable. Alex Caruso (left midfoot) is questionable. Look for Portland to win a close game vs. We’ll give you the latest point spread, money line odds and over/under number, as well as the information you’ll need to make the smartest bet at BetMGM. The Trail Blazers have won three-straight games, including a come from behind victory last night vs.
Meanwhile, Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams are questionable. Two-time NBA All-Star Nikola Vucevic is probable.
The Portland Trail Blazers take on the Chicago Bulls the day after a 20-point comeback win against the Washington Wizards that took Portland's active ...
Inviting the Bulls outside of the normal flow of the offense could be the key to getting them to miss more threes, and the more they miss, the more advantageous to a Blazers team that can capitalize in transition when they get the opportunity. Andre Drummond made a huge impact in his 15 minutes of play, getting a double double of his own with 15 points and 11 rebounds. He’s scored 15 or more six times so far in 2023, something he failed to do a single time in November. Coby White had a nice night as well with 20 points off the bench. He hit three of his five attempts from downtown along with four rebounds. His shooting percentages in January sat at 48.5% overall and 42% from beyond the three-point arc, at least a 6% increase in each from his initial numbers. There’s nothing more dangerous than a player with nothing to lose, and that will be exactly what Chicago has to contend with in this contest. Without Nurkic, outrebounding a team is always a tall task, but it doesn’t get much easier than preventing second chances from the Bulls this season. [Atlanta Hawks](https://www.peachtreehoops.com)and [Memphis Grizzlies](https://www.grizzlybearblues.com)where Portland was outmatched on the offensive glass, they caught a night off against a weaker rebounding Washington team. [Washington Wizards](https://www.bulletsforever.com) that took Portland’s active winning streak to three games. With Nurkic set to miss more time, Watford will have a couple more chances to prove why he deserves a featured role. He stuffed the stat sheet all night and was instrumental in the Blazers’ comeback win.
Visit ESPN for the game recap of the Portland Trail Blazers vs. Chicago Bulls NBA basketball game on February 4, 2023.
[Nikola Vucevic](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/6478/nikola-vucevic) added 23 points and 11 rebounds as Chicago won for the third time in four games, erasing a 17-point deficit in the second half. Portland opened an 80-63 lead on Lillard's fourth 3-pointer with 6:38 left in the third quarter. [Ayo Dosunmu](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4397002/ayo-dosunmu) had 13 points, including a key 3-pointer in the third quarter. Vucevic made two foul shots to give the Bulls a 117-104 lead with 5:13 remaining. “I think it is a factor. “Then when they started doubling, it was just picking it out where the rotation was.”
Bulls' LaVine made 11 of 18 shots from the floor -- including 5 of 10 from 3-point range - to top the scoring chart with 36 points.
Drew Eubanks’ dunk trimmed Chicago’s lead to 105-104 before the Bulls went on a 12-0 run, with Vucevic scoring seven points in that sequence. Ayo Dosunmu added 13 points for the Bulls, who outscored Portland by a 33-17 margin in the third quarter en route to posting their sixth win in the last nine games. He also made all nine of his free-throw attempts to rebound from a 10-point performance in the Bulls’ 114-98 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
Damian Lillard and Zach LaVine showed why they're two of the best scorers in the entire NBA. Portland countered Chicago's size advantage with quickness darting ...
The Blazers made a couple strikes as the quarter closed. Lillard provided most of the fireworks for Portland, while DeRozan hit a couple for Chicago. Hard charging, harder rebounding, and LaVinomania combined for a 92-87 Bulls lead heading into the fourth. But LaVine had a head of steam and smoke pouring out of his ears, going hard at the hoop for twisting conversions or foul shots. The Blazers managed it in the first half of the first quarter. The reasons for Portland’s inability to strike back were clear. Generosity from the first half became tentative play in the second, as the Bulls passed to avoid taking shots instead of creating better ones. To their credit, the Blazers stayed strong rebounding as Chicago continued to miss. The lack of confidence seemed to cascade. Lillard scored 28 in the half, Portland held a 16-2 edge in free throw attempts, and the Blazers led 70-59 heading into intermission. Zach LaVine had 15 and the Bulls posted 12 assists on 14 made buckets in the first. But the fourth quarter belonged to Chicago.
CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Bulls tried all sorts of defensive coverages on Damian Lillard. He kept scoring anyway. Just not enough to hold down Zach LaVine ...
Lillard started heating up in the second quarter. ''Still having some discomfort, but not at the level it was after the game,'' Donovan said. Portland opened an 80-63 lead on Lillard's fourth 3-pointer with 6:38 left in the third quarter. Trail Blazers: The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, and coach Chauncey Billups said his playing career comes in handy this time of year. Vucevic made two foul shots to give the Bulls a 117-104 lead with 5:13 remaining. He was often the subject of trade rumors. Andre Drummond's foul shot sent Chicago into the fourth with a 92-87 advantage. Ayo Dosunmu had 13 points, including a key 3-pointer in the third quarter. ... F Patrick Williams played more than 31 minutes after he tweaked his right ankle against the Hornets. You start to feel some fatigue,'' Lillard said. The seven-time All-Star went 7 for 7 at the line while scoring 19 points in the period, helping Portland to a 70-59 lead at the break. But the Trail Blazers looked a little tired in the second half of their third game in four nights.
During the Saturday night NBA slate, the Chicago Bulls defeated Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers 129-121 with 36 points from Zach LaVine and 27 ...
He’s one of the hottest goalies in the AHL and is playing well enough to earn a shot in the NHL. Coronato is one of the best NHL-drafted prospects in the NCAA and could fetch a pretty penny as a sophomore that might be ready to turn pro sooner rather than later. With the Flames on the outside looking in, but with the skill to make some noise in the post-season, could they use him as a key bargaining chip? The 21-year-old is one of the best defensemen in the KHL, playing around 23 minutes and about to hit 50 points while playing a huge role on SKA St. You’re still a professional.” And while James said he didn’t want to speak for the Lakers’ front office about possible trades, he didn’t quibble with the notion that Kyrie Irving, who has requested a trade and won a title with James in Cleveland, could help the Lakers. Is the Lakers’ involvement in the latest NBA trade rumors a distraction for the players? Ryans was introduced by the Texans and was asked how difficult it was for him to reject the Broncos to take the Houston job. During a separate appearance on the "The Pivot Podcast," the quarterback wouldn’t reveal what he’s specifically looking for in a new contract, just noting that he wants to be paid what he’s worth. Your contract just wants to say, we respect you, we understand what you bring to the table, we understand what caliber of player you are, and we appreciate you. With the Lakers needing to add Russell Westbrook’s contract in a possible trade for Irving for salary-matching purposes, there will naturally be obstacles in getting a deal done. Those changes weren't enough to make punts as safe as the league would like, and it will need to do more if it wants to curb the number of injuries suffered on those plays. Despite a 17-point deficit in the second half, Chicago won for the third time in four games thanks to Nikola Vucevic’s 23 points and 11 rebounds.
Chicago looks to win their second-straight game on Saturday vs. Portland.
- Guard – Damian Lillard Trail Blazers: Gary Payton II (calf) is day-to-day. Bulls: Nikola Vucevic (left quad) is probable.