Portland at Chicago
Time: 7 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: CHI -2.5
Total: 199

Betting odds c/o Bovada

The Chicago Bulls are 13-8 as we’ve reached the quarter mark of the season, and Chicago fans are excited Derrick Rose is beginning to show signs of his former self. Rose and the Bulls will host the Portland Trail Blazers in the first of an ESPN double header. Chicago is 2.5 point favorites in the affair according to NBA odds on Bovada.

Chicago has won four of its last six games, with losses coming to Western Conference contenders Dallas and Golden State. Wednesday night, the Bulls disposed of the Brooklyn Nets to the tune of 105-80. Rose put up 23 points in 24 minutes of action, going 8-of-15 from the floor while also dishing out four assists (though the one-time MVP had five turnovers).

All five Bulls starters finished in double figures, and the emerging Jimmy Butler had 18 points on an efficient 6-of-10 field goals.

Butler won Player of the Week earlier this season and is becoming known as far more than a defensive stopper this season. Butler turned down a four-year $52 million extension over the summer, and thus far it is looking like the former Marquette Eagle made the right decision. His value is sure to continue to increase, with Butler averaging 21.5 points, 3.4 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. At just 25 years of age, the athletic wing has yet to even hit his prime, and the Bulls will struggle to find the cap room to retain his services.

Pau Gasol has been an absolute perfect fit for Tom Thibodeau’s offense and his Bulls teammates. The Spaniard is averaging nearly 20 points per contest while grabbing a team-high 12.2 boards per game. Gasol has also given the Bulls even more rim protection. Between he and Joakim Noah, the Bulls get over 3.5 blocks per game.

Noah’s production has tailed off some this year with the addition of more offensive weapons, but he’s still a top defensive player and is averaging 4.5 assists once again, a very high figure for a 5-man. Noah and Gasol give the Bulls a number of things the team lacked last season, and having Rose back in the fold makes the Bulls true contenders this season.  Noah is expected to miss the game due to an ankle injury sustained in Wednesday night’s game.  Gasol has been battling soreness his shoulder but is expected to play.

The Portland Trail Blazers are 17-5 on the season and are the best rebounding team in the Association. The Blazers average 102.2 points per game while surrendering just 95.3 per. Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge are among the best at their respective positions, but Portland has made much of its strides due to the improvement in its depth.

While Lillard and Aldridge combine for over 42 points per game, Wes Matthews has been a major threat (48.9 percent FG, 38.4 threes) and is posting an above average PER, as Portland’s entire top-five does.

Chris Kaman has shown he still has the skills to be a very effective center, and combining with Robin Lopez, the Blazers get variant play from its centers. In all, Kaman and Lopez combine for 20.5 points and 13.8 rebounds. That is unparalleled production from any one starting center.

The Blazers will need more from Nicolas Batum, who has gone from being like Andre Iguodala to becoming a lot more like Bruce Bowen. He’s attempting just 8.9 shots per game and connecting on a non-Battier-like 37 percent of them. Batum will likely heat up as the season goes on, but he is going to have to attempt more than 12 shots a game as Matthews does.

There’s no reason the talented French national forward can’t be far more integrated into a high scoring offense. He’s great in transition.  The Blazers are contenders at 17-5, but with improved play from Batum and second-year guard C.J. McCollum (out for four weeks), the team can solidify itself as a home court advantage team in the first round.