Blazers look to bounce back against Bulls after a pitiful loss
By Dayton Brown
Chicago is the destination for Portland’s net game, as the 18-17 Blazers look to get back on track.
Snapping a six-game home losing streak against a young and hungry team is great in basketball. Losing the next game against the worst team in the league is awful.
Both happened to the Blazers within the past 48 hours, and this team is slipping. Before Saturday, the Hawks had just nine wins on the season, worst in the league – and the Blazers lost to them by 15 points.
Looking to rebound, Portland heads to Chicago to face the 13-23 Bulls.
Rebuilding this year, and most likely the next few, the Bulls have had an up-and-down season. Chicago has one of the worst records in the league, but are currently on a three-game win streak. Earlier this year, they also had a six-game winning streak, including a home victory over the Boston Celtics.
Portland comes into the game 18-17, 2-3 in their last five. They sit seventh in the Western Conference and did not finish off 2017 well.
The Blazers went 5-8, including opening up the month on a four-game losing streak (three of which at home).
For the Bulls, they are coming off a 114-110 loss to the Wizards in Washington. That puts them at 3-2 in their last five games.
They, like the Trail Blazers, ended 2017 with a loss and look to open the new year with a cross-conference victory.
Chicago may have a disastrous record and miss an All-Star, but they’re young and hungry. This would be a solid road win for Portland, especially to begin the year. Tip off time is 5:00 p.m. PT.
Starting lineups
If Damian Lillard is 100% healthy from his hamstring injury, he needs to play in this game. The Blazers have struggled way too often during his absence. It’s even clearer that he is the most important player on this team. He may be limited in terms of scoring versus Chicago, so look for him to try and assist CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkić to help keep them hot.
Former-Blazer Robin Lopez highlights the starting lineup for Chicago. Rookie sensation Lauri Markannen posted a career-high in points the other night against Indiana (32) to continue his impressive debut season. Kris Dunn can be a killer too, especially against Portland’s weak perimeter defense.
PG: Damian Lillard | SG: CJ McCollum | SF: Evan Turner | PF: Al-Farouq Aminu | C: Jusuf Nurkić
PG: Kris Dunn | SG: Justin Holiday | SF: Denzel Valentine | PF: Lauri Markkenen | C: Robin Lopez
Players to watch
Damian Lillard
Obviously, right? It’ll be interesting to see if he sits out again in Chicago as an extra precaution. If he does play, then it will be all eyes on how he does on the court.
Lillard still has a chance at an All-Star appearance, too. He’s played impressively thus far in the season, and has to put it into the next gear starting tomorrow if he wants a spot on the team. No one wants the team out of their current funk more than Lillard, either. Expect him to do as much as he can on both ends of the floor to help the team achieve a win.
Nikola Mirotic
The only way to bounce back from offseason drama is to perform at a top level in the actual season. After being punched by teammate Bobby Portis during a practice in October, sidelining him for week, Mirotic has bounced back. He’s turned into the player Chicago drafted him to be.
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He’s averaging 18 points and over seven rebounds this season. He scored 28 in the same game Markannen had his career night, and 21 tonight against the Wizards on 8/15 shooting. He’s one of the better bench players in the league, and definitely a stretch-four who can give Portland a lot of problems.