Remember when you were a kid and twisted your ankle or gave yourself some dumb bruise, but you tried to play it off to your parents like nothing happened? I feel like that’s how the Chicago Bulls will walk into the Moda Center tonight.
They’ll enter the building walking extra slow or sporting big sunglasses. We’re fine! Can’t wait to play tonight! Third in four days? That’s nothing! I’m not hurt!
The Trail Blazers may be 6-8 on the season, but this isn’t the kind of team you want to play following an exhausting back-to-back. Portland has built itself an identity this season that centers around the two T’s: Toughness and turnovers. They are tied for forcing opponents into the third-most turnovers per game so far this season, falling behind only top-shelf defenses like the Thunder and Pistons. They also happen to average 21.9 points off those turnovers a night, which ranks sixth-highest in the league. To be clear, they may not be a defense that locks you down possession-by-possession, but they will use their combination of youthful athleticism and veteran smarts to force mistakes and take advantage in transition. Now, the good news for the Bulls is that they could end up dodging two of Portland’s top vets. Matisse Thybulle has been sidelined since Halloween with a UCL tear, while Jrue Holiday sat out last night’s game against the Suns with calf tightness and remains day-to-day. Jerami Grant was also sidelined 24 hours ago with an illness. Now, the best defender on their roster might as well be Toumani Camara, who made his first All-Defensive Team last season. Shaedon Sharpe is also an explosive freak who is averaging 1.4 steals per game. So, regardless, this Portland team has bought into the idea of wreaking havoc this season, and the Bulls have to go in ready to be extra careful with the basketball. For what it’s worth, the team is fresh off tying its season low in turnover against the Denver Nuggets. The only problem is that in the two games prior, they coughed up the ball a combined 38 times! Their 17 against Utah’s ugly defense, especially those that came late in the game, were concerning. Let’s hope they can take what worked against Denver and apply it to tonight’s battle. By the way, thanks largely to these turnovers, the Trail Blazers also happen to average the second-highest PACE in the NBA. This puts them right in front of Chicago in the league ranks. Get ready for another track meet! As for the “toughness” factor, look for that to show up on the offensive glass. Donovan Clingan is an absolute beast down low with his 4.6 offensive rebounds per game. Camara and backup big Robert Williams also average nearly two a game. Scoring off second-chance buckets is a big part of this team’s offense, especially when we consider they haven’t been the most efficient shooting unit. They currently sit third in the NBA in total second-chance points scored at 258, which far exceeds the Bulls’ 189. This is a game where not having the bulkier and more physical Zach Collins could really hurt the Bulls. Need I remind you what Deni Avdija did to the Bulls last year? The former lottery pick has found new life in Portland and nearly single-handedly took down the Bulls in their meeting last April. The tanking Trail Blazers literally benched him in the final 3 minutes of that game because they were so worried he’d steal the win. He dropped 37 points with 11 rebounds on 11-25 shooting from the field and 11-14 shooting at the free throw line. The forward has picked up right where he left off last season and is shooting better behind the arc than ever before. If the Bulls want this win, someone is going to have to step up and slow down Avdija. After sitting in the backend of the Bulls’ back-to-back, Coby White will play his second game of the year. Only time will tell if head coach Billy Donovan will have him come off the bench again. To be honest, after allowing him to blow right past his minutes restriction and go 14-14 at the free-throw line in Utah, I would be surprised if the Bulls come in preaching the same limitations. While I understand practicing an abundance of caution, I think the fact that they already did that during his rehab process is the reason why he looked like his old self against the Jazz. Sure, you want to keep a close eye on him, but White might be ready to take on his old workload. Nov 16, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) plans his next move against Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images For what it’s worth, the Bulls’ defense has fallen off a cliff over the last week-plus. Their opponent’s shooting from three always felt like it was inflating their overall numbers, especially as they remained near the top of the league during their winning streak in points allowed in the paint per game. Up until Nov. 5, the team had the 11th-highest defensive rating in the NBA and opponents were shooting only 34.2 percent from downtown. Since Nov. 5, the Bulls sit 25th in defensive rating and opponents have shot 37.8 percent from three.The Bulls' Defensive Rating was always inflated by cold opponent shooting from 3. Before Nov. 5 – 11th in DEFRTGSince Nov. 5 – 25th in DEFRTGThe cracks have finally started to show. t.co/pS4ZPhEqFE
— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) November 18, 2025 By the way, Julia Poe over at the Chicago Tribune put together a great article about the Bulls’ defensive struggles, and I encourage you to give that a read! Everything is connected, and the Bulls’ problems largely start behind the three-point line. Not only are teams draining more of their open shots, but they’re blowing by the Bulls’ poor perimeter defense to get easy looks in the restricted area. ICYMI: The Last Two Minutes report revealed a potentially massive missed call on Kevin Huerter in the final seconds of Bulls-Nuggets. I guess the basketball gods wanted the Bulls to snap their losing streak! Last Two Minute Report Shows Chicago Bulls Dodged a Bullet in Win Over Nuggets Could Jaylon Johnson be back on the field for this Sunday’s game? Our BN Bears team is monitoring it! The Blackhawks have their superstar. Connor Bedard pulled off another hat trick on Tuesday night as the Blackhawks advanced to 10-5-4. With Shota Imanaga officially returning to Wrigley Field next season, Michael updated us on the Cubs’ current payroll.MORE FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
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