Preview Portland Trail Blazers vs. Chicago Bulls

The Portland Trail Blazers take on the Chicago Bulls on the second night of a back-to-back to close out a five-game home stretch. Portland enters this game without a win in its previous four home games, with an average margin of defeat of 20.0 points during that span. Chicago enters on a four-game losing streak, but still sits in the final Play-In spot in the Eastern Conference.

Portland Trail Blazers (13-28) vs. Chicago Bulls (18-24) – Sun. January 19 – 6:00 PM Pacific

How to watch via antenna or cable: See yours opportunities on the Rip City Television Network

How to watch via streaming: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; NBA TV elsewhere (also available on streaming via NBA TV on League Pass)

Trail Blazers Injuries: Not released yet.

Bulls injuries: Zach LaVine (probably); Lonzo Ball, Talen Horton-Tucker, Jevon Carter, Emanuel Miller (doubtful); Torrey Craig, Adama Sanogo (out).

The Bulls and Blazers both enter this contest on losing streaks and are looking to turn it around. Portland has lost five in a row and Chicago has lost four in a row. Despite this, the two teams are in very different places in the standings. The Blazers are eight games out of the final Play-In spot in the Western Conference, but the Bulls have a two-game lead on the 11th seed Philadelphia 76ers to last place in the Eastern Conference.

Chicago has played at near full strength during this recent stretch for the first time in years. Point guard Lonzo Ball has returned from injury to play his first games in over two years after missing the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. While he is listed as questionable for the matchup with Portland, Ball has been very good for the Bulls in his minutes. He is averaging 6.5 points, 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. game while also grabbing 1.5 steals per game in just 20.2 minutes on the night. His play has been a positive story in an otherwise forgettable year from Chicago.

Reader question

From RedUniInLA:

LaVine is in a similar situation to Anfernee Simons. He’s a score-first guard who doesn’t play much defense on a team that gets more value from bottoming out than fighting for a playoff spot. His contract and style of play also make it harder to move him. His name will come up in trade discussions until the day he is moved or his contract expires.

As for why the Bulls would trade their leading scorer, the answer is similar to the Blazers from a few years ago. Chicago made a couple of win-now moves a few years ago, putting LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic together that didn’t pan out. Now they’re trying to offload those players and embrace a rebuild, but those guys have lost some of their value. The situation reminds me of Portland treading water with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum for a few years chasing one last chance, only to trade McCollum when his value was significantly lower.

From The Ghost of Petteri Koponen:

Are the Bulls still trying to win or are they thinking? Do they even know and is there any difference?

I’m pretty sure Bulls fans have been asking this question for over half a decade now. I’m not sure they know what their plan is.

From Timmay! (Who is not just a reader, but I allow it):

I think I used a similar image for a Bulls vs. Blazers game ten years ago. Will a 1992 playoff streak (and video game) forever be the thing that binds these two teams together?

Until Shaedon Sharpe and Coby White have an epic finals matchup, that will be what connects these two teams forever.

From Kodiak62:

What does Drexler’s career with the Blazers look like if Jordan never existed?

The Blazers will almost certainly win NBA finals in 1992. Other than that, not much else is likely to change. I don’t think Jordan’s absence gives Portland a better chance in 1990, or any year they lost before the Finals.

About the opponent:

More contributors from On Tap Sports Net talked about the Chicago Bulls’ struggles at home this season, despite being the team’s focus.

Before the start of the 2024-2025 NBA season, Artūras Karnišovas, vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls, outlined one of his goals as a team to ensure a winning record in their home arena, the United Center.

On Friday, however, the Bulls suffered their fourth straight home loss, ending a five-game homestand with just one win. They have lost 15 of their 23 home games this season.