Be sure to check lineups before the game as these picks change with the injury reports!
Portland Trailblazers at Chicago Bulls
The Trailblazers are coming into Chicago on a two game losing streak after their recent lost to the Rockets 104-101. They are certainly missing their second highest scorer and star guard McCollum. He’s was bringing 26.7 PPG to the table and will once again be ruled out along with Nurkic, Jones, and Collins. Covington is a game-time decision.
The Blazers are 6-4 in their last ten games and currently hold the last playoff spot as the 8th seed in the Western Conference. With McCollum out, Lillard has stepped up his game scoring over 30 PPG all but once. Lillard has the capability to will this team to a win against the Bulls due to his high ceiling. The Bulls do not contain the necessary defensive skills to shutdown Lillard. They will need to outscore him to limit him. Lillard is currently averaging 28.8 PPG, 7.1 APG and 4.8 RPG. Solid numbers that certainly deserve some attention for MVP consideration.
Wendell Carter Jr is listed as out for this game. This helps Kanter who isn’t known for his defense down low. Carter Jr won’t be able to take advantage of the Trailblazers down low.
The Bulls have shown some competitiveness lead by LaVines 27.7 PPG, 5.3 APG, and 5.2 RPG. It seems like Chicago has found their main guy and just need to add prices around him. LaVine should see a lot of success this season if he can healthy, which has hindered his play in the past. LaVine will need to bring his A-game and keep pace with Lillard in scoring to win, the same goes for White.
The Trailblazers are starting to slide and will give a maximum effort against a vulnerable Chicago team. Chicago can easily win this game but it will be close, which is why Trailblazers +2.0 is the way to go.
Milwaukee Bucks at Portland Trailblazers
The Bucks seemed to be a lot more vulnerable this season as they are 6-4 in their last games and letting up 131 points to the Pelicans in a road loss last game.
Giannis is certainly not to blame as he is putting up MVP numbers averaging 27.5 PPG, 5.5 APG, and 11.0 RPG. He is as dominant on the boards and scoring as anyone in the league. A third MVP in a row is not out of the question.
The Hornets are 7-11 on the season and are 4-6 in their last 10 games. When it come to pace, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage, they remain towards the back of the pack in the league. Which is opposite for the Bucks, as they are front runners in these categories.
Turnovers have also plagued the Hornets, including rookie guard Ball. Ball felt like he wasn’t getting enough minutes but was quickly humbled when his coach said it was due to his turnover rate, which gives him something to strive and work on to get more minutes.
Middleton is also having an excellent season averaging 21.6 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 6.6 RPG shooting over 50% from the floor, and a little over 42% from deep. With most Bucks players putting up around the same numbers as last year, we can assume that opposing coaches have figured out to play against the Bucks to keep games close or bad defensive nights. Tough to say.
Hayward is leading the charge for this newly put together Hornets team who has gotten some excellent wins against some tough competition. Hayward is averaging 22.9 PPG, 3.7 APG, and 5.3 RPG. Great numbers considering where he was a year ago. They would like to see more assists and rebounds from their star forward, considering they will have a tough time matching up against the Bucks.
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The Bucks are the favorite on the road at -7.0. It is rare for the Bucks to drop back to back games so they should almost certainly get the win. With no significant injuries on either side, the Bucks matchup advantage through all positions greatly favor them, making the Bucks -7.0 the play.
Trailblazers +2.0
Bucks -7.0
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