NBA: Chicago Bulls vs. Portland Trail Blazers Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Chicago Bulls aim to extend the winning streak to three games by beating the Portland Trail Blazers in Moda Center tonight. Billy Donovan’s guys are arguably the hottest topic in the NBA because nobody expected them to have such a strong campaign start. They are 10-4 and play pretty well, even though they lack Nikola Vucevic, the starting center. On the other side, the Trail Blazers are mediocre, close to a .500-mark, but without anything that might give them hope of improvement in the near future.

Preview

Chicago Bulls (10-4, +125) are in excellent shape after winning their matchups in LA against the Clippers and the Lakers. The latter one saw the Bulls triumphing 121-103, which is one of their biggest morale-boosters in the past couple of years. After seeing Donovan’s side demolishing the rivals, the media had to acknowledge Chicago’s comeback to the big stage.

The Bulls have a superb backcourt, with both DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine busting their guards without any particular trouble. Furthermore, it seems that they only got it started because their performances are getting better and better as time goes by. DeRozan is currently the third-best scorer in the NBA, with 26.9 points per game, enjoying one of his best years since coming to the league.

He dropped 35 against the Clippers and, after that, 38 on the Lakers, shooting 15-for-23 from the field and adding six assists. LaVine had 26 points, hitting six threes, while Lonzo Ball posted a superb performance, scoring 27 points, while adding seven boards and eight assists, dropping seven threes in 10 attempts.

Portland Trail Blazers (7-8, -145) got back home following an exhausting schedule that saw them meeting the Clippers, Suns, Nuggets, and other big-time shots in the West. The comeback to the RIP City was marked with a win over the Toronto Raptors, 118-113, following a tough and nasty battle.

The Canadians came to fight until the very end, and the game was decided in the final period. CJ McCollum led the way with 29 points, six threes included. Damian Lillard was back after skipping the match in Denver due to a lower abdomen injury, an issue that struggles him for quite a while.

Larry Nance Jr. had a nice role off the bench with 15 points, and five boards, without missing a single of his seven field-goal attempts from the field. Overall, the entire Trail Blazers’ crew had a very high shooting percentage – 56.1.

Head to Head Games

Last year, both teams had a win on the road.

Prediction

The Blazers are slight favorites despite Chicago’s recent performances. It seems the bookmakers believe that Portland’s 6-1 home record is more important than the Bulls’ current form. Overall, when examining this matchup, we believe that it could go either way, and that the chances for the victory are 50-50. Therefore, focusing on total points is a wiser thing. The current line is set at 221, and in our opinion, Over should be a good pick due to Portland’s attacking style of play. Also, the Bulls will accept that because they now play faster without Vucevic.

Pick: Over 221 points