Game preview and injury report: Chicago Bulls must bounce back vs. Portland Trail Blazers

The Chicago Bulls (34-38) visit the Portland Trail Blazers (32-40) tonight. The Bulls suffered a disappointing 116-91 home loss against the 76ers on Wednesday. Coby White led the way with 19 points, three rebounds, and three assists off the bench, Zach LaVine had 16 points and four assists, and Andre Drummond added 13 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.

Chicago Bulls (34-38) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (32-40)

Friday, March 24 – 10:00 PM ET at Moda Center

Chicago Bulls

Points Per Game: 113.2 (20th of 30)
Opponent Points Per Game: 112.5 (10th of 30)
Bench Points Per Game: 30.2 (24th of 30)
Pace: 98.7 (17th of 30)
Offensive Rating: 113.2 (24th of 30)
Defensive Rating: 112.6 (6th of 30)
Net Rating: +0.6 (13th of 30)

Portland Trail Blazers

Points Per Game: 114.4 (15th of 30)
Opponent Points Per Game: 116.1 (18th of 30)
Bench Points Per Game: 26.3 (30th of 30)
Pace: 98.1 (21st of 30)
Offensive Rating: 116.3 (8th of 30)
Defensive Rating: 118 (27th of 30)
Net Rating: -1.7 (24th of 30)

Lillard is not the only threat

Shaedon Sharpe had a monster game in Wednesday's 127-115 road win against the Jazz with 24 points, nine rebounds, four steals, and three assists on 9-of-19 shooting and 4-of-7 from three-point range in 40 minutes. He was Portland's second-leading scorer behind Damian Lillard who had 30 pts, along with 7 rebounds and 12 assists.

Sharpe started in place of Anfernee Simons and set new career-highs in points, rebounds and steals. He also tied his career-high in three-pointers made. The 19-year-old rookie has been a highlight reel all season long, and with the Trail Blazers out of the Playoffs picture, he'll likely play big minutes for the rest of the year.

The Bulls cannot focus their defense solely on Lillard to win their 35th game this season in Portland.

Play with urgency from the start

The 76ers got some payback against the Bulls, as Chicago beat them in Philadelphia on Monday. The 76ers started Wednesday's game on a 17-0 run, had a 28-point lead at halftime and never looked back in a 116-91 rout.

The Bulls, who had won five of their previous six games, didn't show up and their first-half play mirrored what has been a very disappointing season.

Chicago is still in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings, but their upcoming road games against the Trail Blazers, Lakers and Clippers can determine if they will reach the Play-in tournament or not. Winning this game in Portland might be impossible if they have another disastrous start.

"We didn't make shots early on, and before you know it, it's 23-1," LaVine said after Wednesday's game. "Against a team like that, against that deficit, it's going to be tough to crawl back out."

Noteworthy

The Bulls won the last meeting, 129-121 on February 4. LaVine led the Bulls with 36 points.

Chicago beat Portland three of the last five times.

The Bulls are 3-7 in the last 10 matchups against the Trail Blazers.

Projected lineups

Bulls: Vucevic, Williams, LaVine, DeRozan, Beverley

Trail Blazers: Eubanks, Watford, Thybulle, Sharpe, Lillard

Injury report

Bulls: Lonzo Ball is out with a left knee injury. DeMar DeRozan (right quad strain) and Alex Caruso (left mid-foot sprain) are questionable.

Trail Blazers: Anfernee Simons (right foot soreness), Jerami Grant (left quad contusion), Justise Winslow (sprained left ankle) and Ibou Badji (left knee surgery) are out. Jusuf Nurkic (right knee soreness) and Nassir Little (concussion protocols) are listed as questionable.