Portland Trail Blazers vs. Chicago Bulls Prediction, Preview, and Odds
Portland goes on the road to face the Bulls on Monday, March 18. The Trail Blazers are 19-48 overall this season and they have been eliminated from a playoff spot this season. Portland is in second to last place in the Western Conference and they have los six of their last eight games. The Bulls are 33-35 overall this season and they are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference this season. Chicago has lost three of their last five games leading into this game, too. These two teams will tip off at 8 P.M. EST.
Portland eliminated from playoffs
Portland is 19-48 overall this season and they are in 14th place in the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers are 16.5 games back of the Lakers for the final spot in play-in games. Portland has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Portland has lost six of their last eight games leading into Monday.
In their last game, Portland lost 126-107 to New Orleans on the road on Saturday, March 16. Portland barely led in the game with their largest lead being five points as they struggled to retain a lead in the game. The Trail Blazers shot 50% from the field and 36.4% from behind the 3-point line in the defeat. Portland turned the ball over 20 times in the loss. Dalano Banton led the team with 28 points on 10-for-20 shooting in the loss to New Orleans.
Anfernee Simons is leading the team with 23.1 points per game. Simons is also passing for a team-high 5,6 assists per game. Deandre Ayton is grabbing a team-high 11.1 rebounds per game.
Robert Williams III, Shaedon Sharpe, Malcolm Brogdon and Jerami Grant are out for the game. Matisse Thybulle is questionable for the game.
Portland is averaging 107.7 points per game which ranks third worst in the league. The Trail Blazers areshooting 44.2% from the field which ranks second to last. They are also shooting 35.3% from behind the 3-point line which ranks sixth worst.
On defense, the Trail Blazers are allowing 115.9 points per game which ranks 17th. Portland is allowing 49.3% from the field which ranks 27th. The Trail Blazers are allowing 35.2% from behind the 3-point line which ranks them as the fifth best 3-point defensive team in the league.
The Trail Blazers are 31-35-1 against the spread this season. They are 17-15 agains the spread when they have played on the road. Portland is 6-3-1 against the spread in their last 10 games. Portland is 5-1 against the spread in their last six road games. The under is 35-32 when Portland has played this season. The over is 6-4 in their last 10 games. Portland is the 19th ranked team in pace of play with 100.2 possessions per game.
Bulls lost 3 of last 5 games
Chicago is 33-35 overall this season. They are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls are five games back of the Pacers for the six seed and to avoid the play-in games. Chicago is seven games ahead of the Nets for the final spot in the play-in games. Chicago has lost three of their last five games.
In their last game, the Bulls defeated the Wizards 127-98 at home on Saturday, March 16. The Bulls led for the entirety of the game as Washington’s only lead was just one point in the first few minutes of the game. Chicago shot 57.6% from the field and 33.3% from behind the 3-point line in the win. Ayo Dosunmu led the team in scoring with 34 points on 14-for-22 shooting.
DeMar DeRozan is the leading scorer with 23.2 points per game and 5.3 assists per game. Nikola Vucevic is the leading rebounder with 10.7 rebounds per game.
Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, Lonzo Ball and Julian Phillips are out for Monday’s game. Coby White is doubtful and Alex Caruso is questionable for Monday, too.
The Bulls are averaging 112.1 points per game which ranks 23rd in the league. They are shooting 46.6% from the field which ranks 20th. Chicago is the 20th ranked 3-point shooting team in the nation with 35.8% from behind the arc.
On defense, the Bulls are allowing 113.6 points per game which ranks 14th. Chicago is the 13th best defensive team with their opponents shooting 47.2% from the field. The Bulls are allowing their opponents to make 36.6% from behind the 3-point line which ranks 16th.
Chicago is 35-32-1 against the spread this season. They are 16-17-1 against the spread when they have played at home. The Bulls are 2-5 against the spread when they have played at home in their last seven games. Chicago is 5-5 against the spread in their last 10 games. The over is 36-31-1 this season when Chicago has featured. The over is 6-4-1 in Chicago’s last 10 games. The Bulls are the second slowest team in the league with 98.7 possessions per game.
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Rating:
The Bulls come into this game with more to prove than Portland. The Trail Blazers have already been eliminated from the playoffs as they start their rebuild over again. Chicago is trying to ramp up their playoff style basketball as the play-in games loom for the team. Chicago will have the best player on the court with DeMar DeRozan leading the charge. I don’t think Portland has any fire power to come away with a narrow loss or win on the road on Monday. This should be an easy double-digit victory for the Bulls.
Take Chicago to cover.
Prediction: Chicago Bulls -7
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The offenses are very poor for Chicago and Portland and that should translate to not many points. The pace of play will be ridiculously slow in this game, too. Expect errant passes and empty trips all night long as this will not be a pretty game of basketball to watch.
Take the under on Monday.
Prediction: Under 213
Liam Keating is a local sports journalist in the Kansas City metro area where he covers high school athletes. As a former NAIA college athlete, Liam could not stray far from the sports industry as he studied journalism. Liam has covered an array of sports from high schoolers to college athletes to professional soccer. He is excited to showcase his skills in a new arena of work, sports betting. Liam is pumped to join the great team at Winners and Whiners. Follow along for in-depth previews along with killer picks. You can be up-to-date on Liam’s work on twitter at @ liamkeating7
