After gaining what seemed like a surreal victory over the Charlotte Hornets, the Chicago Bulls will take to the familiar hardwood at the United Center to take on the Portland Trail Blazers for the first of two regular-season matchups.
Let’s take a look at how to stream Monday night’s game between the Chicago Bulls and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Both teams hold sub-.500 records and aspirations to turn it around to make a playoff push.
The Bulls have some momentum after getting a career-high performance out of shooting guard Zach LaVine en route to a victory over the Hornets. If the team is to secure another win, they may need productive nights from both he and big man Lauri Markkanen. This is a feat that has not been accomplished all season long.
Another key to a Bulls’ victory is defense. The team needs to prevent the Trail Blazers and its offense from doing what it does best and that is score. If the Bulls can handle that, there won’t be as much pressure to outscore the Trail Blazers. At the same time, the Trail Blazers aren’t exactly known for their defense, so that works to the Bulls’ advantage.
This might seem like a tall order to ask of the young Bulls. Still, there’s reason to keep hope alive that the team can win. The Bulls won half of their games last week thanks, in part, to the consistency demonstrated by big man Wendell Carter Jr. and the play of the reserves.
As for the Trail Blazers, the team is coming to Chicago hoping to snap a four-game losing streak.
Monday night’s game will serve as point guard Damian Lillard’s second game since returning to the lineup. He had been ruled out with back spasms after playing 11 games with the team. Lillard had a hot hand early on during the regular season averaging 32.5 points per game.
Another thing to note is the Trail Blazers are still getting forward Carmelo Anthony acclimated to the system after making a return to the league last week. He’s a veteran, so it’s not expected to take all that long to accept his role.
At the same time, it becomes all the more crucial that Anthony learns quickly how he can best serve the team. The problem is the Trail Blazers have a lack of depth in the frontcourt. Both big men Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins are sidelined due to injury.
The hope is the Bulls can replicate the success had in Charlotte in an effort to beat the Trail Blazers.
The action gets underway Monday at 7 p.m. CST. If you want to catch the game, here is information on how to stream it.
TV: NBC Sports Chicago
Radio: WSCR-670