Preview: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Chicago Bulls
By Ryan Allison
Tonight at 7:30 p.m. PST, the Portland Trail Blazers welcome the Chicago Bulls to the Moda Center. The Trail Blazers look to add another home win to their total, where they are 7-1 on the season. The Bulls are coming off their first road loss of the season in Sacramento last night and always present a hard out, no matter who is in the lineup. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN but can also be viewed on CSNNW and heard on Rip City Radio 620 AM.
The Trail Blazers received a rare three days off after their 102-93 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. Hopefully this means they will be well-rested and ready for their last home game before a three-game road trip.
Even though McCollum will be out for about a month (broken finger), I’m sure the “next man up” mentality will continue. Steve Blake will most certainly see his minutes increase and I have full confidence in the veteran guard. Will Barton may also see more of the court. The Bulls present a tough matchup and, while having injury issues of their own, they also execute that “next man up” mentality very well. Butler and Hinrich have been a very consistent backcourt tandem. Gibson, who I have always coveted, has stepped in well while Gasol has been sidelined.
This game is sure to feature some great defense, which is rare in the NBA. The Trail Blazers and Bulls are seventh and eleventh, respectively, in points allowed this season. Even more impressive, they rank third and fifth in opponent field goal percentage at 42.0 and 42.9 respectively. Both teams also average over 100 points per game so it will be interesting to see what happens. Will it be a defensive struggle or a shoot-out?
Mar 28, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) and Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) fight for the ball during the first quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
The Bulls play their second of a back-to-back and have a six game losing streak against the Trail Blazers in Portland. In fact, the Trail Blazers have been able to take 12 of the last 14 against the Bulls at home. It’s undetermined if the Bulls will be without Rose and Gasol for another game. My guess is neither of them play, with the thought being they don’t play again until Monday in Utah.
Butler continues to make the most of his playing time. After this season, Butler will become a restricted free agent. He understands he is playing for a better contact. Last night, Butler put in a team-high 23 points while also grabbing eight rebounds. He missed the first two games of the season with a sprained thumb but has provided scoring while Rose rests. In the seven games which Rose has sat out and Butler has played, he is averaging 23 points per game. Butler has proved his value and if he continues to play at this level, he will get paid next season.
I’ll be watching two matchups tonight and both are in the frontcourt. Lopez and Noah have similar styles of game. They both hustle on every play, rebound, and block shots. Noah tends to score at a higher clip compared to Lopez but this season things have been different. Noah is averaging 8.4 points while Lopez is putting in 11.8 points. The next matchup comes at power forward and it doesn’t matter who plays for the Bulls, it should be the focus of the game. Gibson and Gasol are both well-rounded players that must contend with Aldridge. Aldridge played poorly in two games against the Bulls last season. He only averaged 8.5 points and shot 20.0 percent from the floor. If he can regain his mojo, and the Trail Blazers move the ball, they will win their sixth consecutive game.
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