Game Thread Game #16 - BLAZERS VS BULLS - NOVEMBER 17, 2021 - WEDNESDAY - 7:00 PM (PDT) ROOT SPORTS

[Chris Craig]

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STARTERS





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WHEN: NOVEMBER 17, 2021 - WEDNESDAY - 7:00 PM (PDT)

WHERE: MODA CENTER, PORTLAND, OR



TV BROADCAST



RADIO BROADCAST



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BENCHES

BLAZERS


Cody Zeller Larry Nance Jr

Nassir Little Anfernee Simons

Tony Snell Dennis Smith Jr

Ben McLemore CJ Elleby

Greg Brown Trendon Watford

Keljin Blevins

BULLS


Alex Caruso Tony Bradley

Troy Brown Jr Tyler Cook

Ayo Dosunmu Devon Dotson

Javonte Green Alize Johnson

Derrick Jones Jr Marko Simonovic

Matt Thomas Coby White

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INJURIES

BULLS

Patrick Williams (Wrist) OUT

Nikola Vucevic (Covid) OUT

BLAZERS

Damian Lillard (Abdomen) Probable

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COACHES


Chauncey Billups


Billy Donovan

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NOTES

PAST 5


BULLS

CHI 100 - LAC 90 W
CHI 93 - GSW 119 L
CHI 117 - DAL 107 W
CHI 118 - BRK 95 W
CHI 105 - PHI 114 L

BLAZERS

POR - TOR
POR 95 - DEN 124 L
POR 104 - HOU 92 W
POR 109 - PHX 119 L
POR 109 - LAC 117 L

• This is the first of two meetings between the Bulls and Blazers. The two teams will meet again January 30th in Chicago.
• The Trail Blazers and Bulls split the 2021-22 season series 1-1
• Derrick Jones Jr played for the Blazers during the 2020-21 season
• Tony Snell was drafted by the Bulls in the 2013 draft, with the 20th pick. He was a Bull from 2013-16

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TRIVIA

The Blazers and Bulls last played on January 30th. The Blazers won 123 -122. He recorded 18pts in a start for the Blazers.

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[42N8Bounce]

I’ll be going to this game with my son.

I’m looking forward to seeing if they can bring the same energy as they did with Toronto. Portland can look amazing in spurts, and down right ugly immediately afterwards.

Lets keep that energy level and intensity high and get that second win in a row!

 

[Fairly-Hard]

A day off and a Home game. Hope they get some much needed rest.

 

[Minstrel]

Bulls look good. I'm still not a fan of that DeRozan deal, but I like everything else Chicago did this past offseason and even DeRozan is unquestionably helpful, if overpaid.

 

[Tince]

 

[illmatic99]

Home/ road breakdown is staggering with this team.

Home:
2nd in offense
9th in defense

Road:
20th in offense
30th in defense

 

[Buffalo Custard]

Not that Quick enjoys rubbing our collective noses in the teams' short-comings.

 

[Labinot41]

More Nance and Little and less Nurkic and Covington

 

[SharpesTriumph]

We got rid of Melo and Kanter horrific defense yet are hardly better in defensive rank thus far.

Doesn't seem like the change in schemes is giving us better results.

Its still early in the season, so I'm hopeful this could improve. The defense has looked great at times. Then other times horrible, giving up way more open threes or dunks than last year.

 

[tester551]

We got rid of Melo and Kanter horrific defense yet are hardly better in defensive rank thus far.

Doesn't seem like the change in schemes is giving us better results.

Its still early in the season, so I'm hopeful this could improve. The defense has looked great at times. Then other times horrible, giving up way more open threes or dunks than last year.

A lot of the problems come from breakdowns at the point of attack.... It starts a chain reactions that is hard to recover from.
The other major problem is that we are almost always playing a smaller lineup compared to the other team. It's tough when you are always giving up size.

 

[Scalma]

We got rid of Melo and Kanter horrific defense yet are hardly better in defensive rank thus far.

Doesn't seem like the change in schemes is giving us better results.

Its still early in the season, so I'm hopeful this could improve. The defense has looked great at times. Then other times horrible, giving up way more open threes or dunks than last year.

idk what conclusions you can draw when this team is a top 10 defense at home (and they’ve played some really good teams too) and a bottom 10 one on the road. Seems like a team still finding their way. I’m a lot more optimistic about this team under Billups than I ever was under Stotts. The flashes are louder. The inconsistency isn’t surprising, it’s a completely new system to everyone. It was always going to take time. If we could give Stotts a decade I think we could give Billups at least half a season before judging.

 

[Fairly-Hard]

More Nance and Little and less Nurkic and Covington

You might get your wish. Vucevic is out. Guess it depends on what lineup the Bulls put out there. Bradley/Marko might not be much of a threat?

 

[Cugel]

Far from an expert, but could it be that all of the constant double teaming is just giving too many wide open 3s? Is there a team that gives up more uncontested 3s, no defender even close, than Portland? Switching and going around picks are harder avoid, but how many times have we seen a Blazer running over, jumping with a hand raised to try and, unsuccessfully, stop a 3 from draining in.
Are offenses FORCING the Blazers to constantly double? Or is doubling Chauncey's attempt to compensate for a defensively weak roster i.e. help defense? I would guess the latter.

 

[Strenuus]

We got rid of Melo and Kanter horrific defense yet are hardly better in defensive rank thus far.

Doesn't seem like the change in schemes is giving us better results.

Its still early in the season, so I'm hopeful this could improve. The defense has looked great at times. Then other times horrible, giving up way more open threes or dunks than last year.

The fact that it's even great at times should give hope, honestly. Cause we may have had it once in 30 or 40 games with stotts, whereas in 15 games we have had elongated stretches of good to great defense. Yes, we fucking suck at times too but when you're learning all new schemes and coverages thats going to happen. Especially with a bunch of players who don't know much better given the coach they had previously. (Dame, CJ, et al.)

 

[Predator]

We got rid of Melo and Kanter horrific defense yet are hardly better in defensive rank thus far.

Doesn't seem like the change in schemes is giving us better results.

Its still early in the season, so I'm hopeful this could improve. The defense has looked great at times. Then other times horrible, giving up way more open threes or dunks than last year.

 

[Predator]

Essentially a top 3 team at home and a bottom 3 team on the road.

weird splits.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Far from an expert, but could it be that all of the constant double teaming is just giving too many wide open 3s? Is there a team that gives up more uncontested 3s, no defender even close, than Portland? Switching and going around picks are harder avoid, but how many times have we seen a Blazer running over, jumping with a hand raised to try and, unsuccessfully, stop a 3 from draining in.
Are offenses FORCING the Blazers to constantly double? Or is doubling Chauncey's attempt to compensate for a defensively weak roster i.e. help defense? I would guess the latter.

I'm not an expert either but I don't think Billups is calling for double teams. They happen when one of the other teams' guards gets past our defender and is headed straight for the basket. One guy is still chasing him and another slides over to cut him off from the basket, and so they both end up on him. Probably the guy who gets beat should look to peel off and look for someone else to defend as soon as he sees his guy is cut off? Although he may be so deep by then that it's best to keep two guys on him.

 

[Fairly-Hard]

They happen when one of the other teams' guards gets past our defender and is headed straight for the basket. One guy is still chasing him and another slides over to cut him off from the basket, and so they both end up on him.

I've seen that very scenario. I figured it's just bad communication.

 

[Cugel]

So it's just plain bad defense, especially on the perimeter.

 

[wizenheimer]

pretty easy to see that Portland isn't as bad as their road record; and they aren't as good as their home record

the game against Chicago will even their road/home balance and it might even their record at .500

Right now, they have a massive 18-7 home/road schedule over the next 25 games. If you count last night, that imbalance was 19-7. I can't recall the Blazers ever having that long a stretch of basketball and having a +12 game home game edge.

Blazers need to take advantage of having a 25-15 home/road edge over their first 40 games because it completely flips in their last 42 games. I think Portland needs to be at least 10 games over .500 at 40 games or they will be facing the real possibility of the play-in

 

[wizenheimer]

So it's just plain bad defense, especially on the perimeter.

mostly. They are 28th in opponent 3ptFG%. Last season, with a historically bad defense, they ranked 20th in opponent 3ptFG%. Their rotations to 3 point shooters has been really bad. I think a significant part of that is length. I think length closes gaps faster that speed and Portland has very little length on the perimeter. Besides that while they are small, they aren't really that fast

 

[Tince]

A lot of the problems come from breakdowns at the point of attack.... It starts a chain reactions that is hard to recover from.
The other major problem is that we are almost always playing a smaller lineup compared to the other team. It's tough when you are always giving up size.

This is what I've been saying for a few years. There is no scheme that can make up for below average point of attack defenders on the outside.

 

[Tince]

Not that Quick enjoys rubbing our collective noses in the teams' short-comings.

To be fair, he was really trying to sell us the Billups was going to bring that "it" factor that Stotts didnt' have. I think he did/does really want things with Billups to be successful and Quick was saying last year he thought this was a top 4 roster in the West.

 

[James lamphear]

I don't think we are as good as our home record shows. Last night first game that CJ and Dame had good shooting night hopefully it's continues. But last night the bench had a good game that got us back in the game in the first half. Starters have to be energized at the start but lately they haven't been.

 

[wizenheimer]

To be fair, he was really trying to sell us the Billups was going to bring that "it" factor that Stotts didnt' have. I think he did/does really want things with Billups to be successful and Quick was saying last year he thought this was a top 4 roster in the West.

Quick also thought Meyers Leonard had all-star potential

 

[Tince]

Quick also thought Meyers Leonard had all-star potential

As did Dwight Jaynes and Olshey... It's like Olshey is/was feeding Jaynes and Quick info.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

This is what I've been saying for a few years. There is no scheme that can make up for below average point of attack defenders on the outside.

Billups has said this also.

 

[Fairly-Hard]

Quick also thought Meyers Leonard had all-star potential

Quick once wrote a huge story about Telfair being the player that was going to change the culture for the Blazers. Even proclaimed he would be the face of the franchise for many years.
Jason Quick is rarely correct.

 

[wizenheimer]

Quick once wrote a huge story about Telfair being the player that was going to change the culture for the Blazers. Even proclaimed he would be the face of the franchise for many years.
Jason Quick is rarely correct.

He's been a decent writer at the Athletic, but his player evaluations suck

 

[MickZagger]

Quick is a puppet for Olshey. I remember this off-season Quick kept repeating that they should keep the starting lineup in tact because for a 20 game stretch to end the season, the analytics said it was the best starting lineup in the NBA.

Blah blah blah

We’re too undersized 1-3 to be a contender. If it wasn’t for Olshey’s love affair with CJ we would’ve upgraded our size and versatility years ago.