Portland Trail Blazers vs Chicago Bulls Prediction, 3/18/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Portland Trail Blazers vs Chicago Bulls

Date: Monday, March 18, 2024

Location: United Center in Chicago, IL

TV: NBC Sports Chicago

Odds/Point Spread: Portland (+8)

The Chicago Bulls (33-35) will play the Portland Trail Blazers (19-48) at United Center on Monday. Portland opens this contest as 8-point underdogs. The total is set at 214.5.

The Trail Blazers faced off with the Pelicans and took a loss by a final of 126-107 in their last game. In reference to personal fouls, the Trail Blazers walked away with 15 and the Pelicans totaled 13 personal fouls. They also made 13 out of their 33 shots from long range. New Orleans shot 90.0% when shooting free throws by knocking down 9 of 10 tries. In addition, New Orleans collected 39 boards (10 offensive, 29 defensive) and had 7 blocks. New Orleans dished out 36 dimes and had 8 steals in this contest. In terms of defending, Portland allowed the other team to go 53.6% from the floor on 52 of 97 shooting. They also doled out 23 assists for the contest while forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and having 3 steals. In the matter of hauling in boards, they compiled 36 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. From the charity stripe, the Trail Blazers converted 11 of their 12 attempts for a percentage of 91.7%. Portland ended the contest with a 50.0% FG percentage (42 out of 84) and buried 12 of their 33 shots from distance.

Dalano Banton is one guy who played a role in this matchup. Banton ended up going 50.0% from the floor and also distributed 6 dimes. He played 42 minutes and collected 5 boards. He walked away with 28 points on 10 of 20 shooting.

Get all of our NBA Picks Today

Portland comes into this one with a record of 19-48 this year. They are giving up possession 15.2 times per game and as a team they are committing 20.4 personal fouls per contest. As a team, Portland is collecting 42.0 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 1,537 dimes this year, which ranks 30th in the NBA in terms of passing the ball. The Trail Blazers are shooting 35.3% on three-point shots (787 of 2,230) and 79.8% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 107.7 points per contest (28th in basketball) while shooting 44.2% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Trail Blazers are forcing 14.7 turnovers per game and they draw 18.2 personal fouls. They are 21st in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,827 surrendered on the campaign. The Trail Blazers are giving up a field goal percentage of 49.3% (2,865 of 5,815) and they surrender 43.9 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They are conceding 35.2% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 17th in the NBA in opponents points per game (115.9).

When they last stepped on the court, the Bulls walked away with a victory by a final of 127-98 when they faced the Wizards. The Bulls corralled 39 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards for a total of 51 for the contest. They turned the ball over 15 times, while recording 9 steals for this contest. The Wizards were called for 21 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Bulls to the charity stripe for a total of 29 tries. They were able to bury 21 of those for a percentage of 72.4%. When discussing shots from downtown, Chicago buried 8 out of 24 attempts (33.3%). Overall, the Bulls shot 49 for 85 from the floor which gave them a rate of 57.6%. The Bulls allowed the Wizards to make 36 of their 84 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 42.9% for the game. They went 40.6% from three-point range by going 13 of 32 and ended up shooting 13 out of 22 at the free throw line (59.1%). Regarding team rebounding, Chicago permitted Washington to grab 32 in all (9 on the offensive glass).

Ayo Dosunmu pitched in for the Bulls for this contest. He converted 14 of 22 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 63.6%, and earned 3 rebounds. Dosunmu earned 34 points in his 41 mins on the court and had 9 dimes in this contest.

Chicago has a record of 33-35 on the year. As an offense, the Bulls are shooting 46.6% from the field, which has them ranked 20th in the league. Chicago has tallied 7,620 points on the campaign (112.1 per contest) and they collect 43.6 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 24.8 times per contest (24th in the NBA) and they lose possession via turnover 12.3 times per game. The Bulls are committing 18.9 fouls every game and they go 79.3% from the free throw line.

The Chicago defense allows 36.6% on 3-point shots (986 of 2,693) and their opponents are converting on 77.9% of their foul shots. They allow 28.1 dimes and 43.7 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 23rd and 16th in the league. The Bulls on defense are ranked 14th in the NBA in points allowed per game with 113.6. They are forcing 14.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 47.2% from the floor (13th in basketball).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Chicago (-8)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here