The Bulls are headed West to square off against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night, and NBC Sports Chicago has you covered from start to finish. Pregame Live begins at 8:30 p.m. Here are three things to watch!
1. The Western Conference's second best backcourt: No one's better than the Splash Brothers, but when it comes to the West's top backcourts trailing closely behind is Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. The two are lethal by themselves, play well off each other and both want the ball in their hands in the clutch. That makes for a really difficult time for opposing defenses, especially one playing out Kris Dunn. And we can't overlook Shabazz Napier as a third guard, as he's having a career year. This backcourt is incredibly good (and makes up for a really "meh" frontcourt).
2. Bobby Portis' time to shine: With Lauri Markkanen out for personal reasons, and Nikola Mirotic perhaps sitting out with a leg strain (and trade rumors), Bobby Portis is going to get all the minutes he can handle. And that might be a good thing for the Bulls. Since the start of the new year Portis is averaging 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He's shooting 49.6 percent from the field, 34 percent from deep and is adding 0.8 steals in just 19.5 minutes. Those are some solid per-36 numbers, and he could flirt with that minute total against Portland.
3. Stay hot, Denzel Valentine: Valentine is seeing some extended run with the second unit with Kris Dunn out and Jerian Grant starting, and he's making the most of it. He has 34 points in his last two games, and over his last 10 games he's averaging 12.1 points on 48.4 percent shooting and 41.5 percent from deep (2.2 makes per game). He's also handing out 4.2 assists in 28.9 minutes, an important stat for a Bulls team that has struggled with ball movement since Dunn's concussion. This up-tempo, high-scoring game should suit Valentine well.