Portland Trail Blazers vs Chicago Bulls Prediction: Two desperate teams converge

The NBA Regular Season is moving into its final parts and soon we will hit the Postseason window. This is a crucial phase where we witness some transformative changes and have to keep track of which teams need what mileage. In another important battle, the Portland Trail Blazers are going to take on the Chicago Bulls.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers come into this game after defeating the Jazz 127:115 as Damian Lillard scooped up 30 points and 12 assists. This win broke a six-game losing streak and they have lost 14 of their last 20 games. Because of that, they have played themselves out of the consideration for even a Play-in berth and have been relegated to just 32 wins and a humongous 40 losses. Damian Lillard has continued to average over 30 but the injuries to Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons have further weakened the already fragile support system around him. Portland has a lot of work to do in the offseason.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls enter the game after losing 91:116 against the 76ers despite a 19 points performance by Coby White. The Bulls have won five of their last seven games to bolster their chances but still are four games below the 50% win mark. This has been another disappointing season for the Bulls which have once again over-relied upon DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, the duo which has delivered but didn’t find much support around them. The team makeup looks decent but not enough to string together a top-six ranking in the East.

Injuries

• Trail Blazers: OUT: Ibou Badji, Justice Winslow, Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant. QUESTIONABLE: Jusuf Nurkic, Nasir Little. PROBABLE: Damian Lillard;
• Bulls: OUT: Lonzo Ball. QUESTIONABLE: Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan. PROBABLE: Javonte Green.

Expert Betting Tips

The Bulls have been playing much better even on the road but they don’t always inspire confidence. Meanwhile, Portland barely inspires any confidence even when they are playing at home. The Trail Blazers are without Grant and Simons but Shaedon Sharpe displayed some shooting chops in the last game. Match-up-wise, I give the Bulls a slight advantage and they may able to sneak one here.