West Road Trip Begins, Two Stats to Watch Tonight, Williams vs. Buzelis, and Other Bulls Bullets ...Middle East

The Chicago Bulls will look to snap a four-game skid on their first Western Conference road trip of the season. I’m sure that will go over well!

Three-game West Coast trip starts tonight.⏰: 8:00 pm CT ?: t.co/dLgvAjeEdl ?: @670TheScore pic.twitter.com/niNmp98wfE

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 19, 2025 Look, there are far worse trips the Bulls could take. The Trial Blazers, Clippers, and Golden State Warriors make up the next three games. All three are beatable teams. At the same time, this is the exact thing we could’ve said about the Bulls’ previous four games … and we see how that turned out. The fact of the matter is that this group can lose to any team on any given night. Is that great news for those of us watching the lottery standings? Absolutely! But that doesn’t make it any less embarrassing for this front office, who didn’t intentionally put the team on this trajectory. The Portland Trail Blazers will enter tonight’s meeting with five straight losses and the second-worst net rating in the NBA (-9.1). While this roster has a handful of intriguing youngsters, it remains unclear who the obvious building blocks are moving forward. Scoot Henderson – who many believed would be the organization’s next superstar – has struggled immensely over his first two seasons. Anfernee Simons remains a high-upside shooter but is far from a No. 1 scoring option. Shaedon Sharpe possesses the kind of jaw-dropping athleticism you want in a leading man, but his all-around game still needs a lot of growth. The risk they took on Deandre Ayton doesn’t look like it’ll pay off. Recent lottery selection Donovan Clingan has at least looked like the exceptional rim protector they wanted him to be, but it’s rare someone with his skillset becomes the anchor for a rebuild With all of this in mind, a case could be made that the Trail Blazers are a cautionary tale for embracing the tank. They have won 33 games or less in four straight seasons and it remains unclear exactly what they have to show for it. Still, I’d rather have the young pieces and flexibility they possess than the middling roster the Bulls have now. They at the very least have the potential to strike oil with a draft pick or blockbuster trade. Apr 22, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas (right) talks with general manager Marc Eversley (left) before game three of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports There is one obvious way for the Bulls to control tonight’s contest. The Trail Blazers average the third-most turnovers per game and allow nearly 21.0 points off those mistakes a night. Now, are the Bulls particularly good at forcing turnovers? Not at all, but they don’t necessarily have to be against a team this inexperienced and sloppy. Instead, they simply have to stay vigilant and take advantage of the inevitable opportunities that come their way in the fastbreak. Per Cleaning the Glass, Portland allows the fourth-most points per 100 possessions in transition, as well. Could this mean a big night for Ayo Dosunmu? The guard has scored 9 points in each of his two games since returning from a 10-game absence. Considering the Bulls are on a back-to-back set, I’d imagine his minutes restriction will continue into at least tonight. Still, we know he thrives in games where you can get out and run, so I’ll have a close eye on how significant of a role he carries in this one. This is especially true when we consider that Lonzo Ball is likely to sit out. I’d imagine the Bulls would select this matchup for his night off instead of tomorrow’s against James Harden. He’s currently listed as questionable on the official injury report. The major concern for Billy Donovan will probably be the offensive glass. The Bulls have allowed the single-most second-chance points per game over their last six contests, which is a huge reason why they are 1-5 over that stretch. The Trail Blazers may not be very good at a lot of things, but they have several long wings and two physically imposing big men. Toumani Camara, Deandre Ayton, and Donovan Clingan each average over 2.0 OREBs a night and have helped boost the Trail Blazers to the second-highest OREB% this season. The team averages 15.5 second-chance points per game, which is the fifth-most in the NBA. It will take a communal effort to keep the boards under control tonight. And, yes, that includes you, Patrick Williams! I’m honestly shocked the 23-year-old has remained in the starting lineup. He has been a non-factor for a large part of the season, particularly since the calendar flipped to 2025. Things reached a new low on Friday night when Billy Donovan held him to under 17.0 minutes of action and Williams registered his third-straight game with a -14 or worse. Meanwhile, an energized Matas Buzelis is sitting right there! I’m not quite sure how Donovan can continue to harp that minutes have to be earned only to play Williams significantly more than Buzelis. You felt the rookie more in 4 minutes than you did Williams in 16+ minutes.

Matas Buzelis played only 4 MINs last night. All in the 2nd quarter. In those 4 MINs, he did these two things. How does this not warrant more playing time? Especially in a game where Bulls gave up 64 PTS in the paint?They could have genuinely used his defense and hustle! pic.twitter.com/om9vXzyb4j

— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) January 18, 2025 Ben Johnson or bust! Could the Bears try to wrap up their coaching search this week with the Lions OC done with the season? The Blackhawks won a game! Tab gives you the rundown on their surprising 5-3 victory over the Golden Knights this weekend.

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