Overview
- Tip-off is 7 p.m. Pacific at the Moda Center, with Portland 6-8 hosting Chicago 7-6.
- Interim coach Tiago Splitter said Shaedon Sharpe (right calf) and Robert Williams III (left knee management) are out, Jerami Grant is warming up and trending toward playing, and multiple regulars remain sidelined including Scoot Henderson, Damian Lillard, Matisse Thybulle and Blake Wesley, with Jrue Holiday not expected.
- Chicago arrives after halting a five-game skid with a 130-127 win in Denver, where Josh Giddey had 21 points, 14 rebounds and six assists and Ayo Dosunmu scored 21 off the bench; the Bulls are 2-5 on the road.
- Portland’s defensive rating has deteriorated from 110.1 in October to 121.7 in November, a slide now testing a rotation leaning on rookies and two-way players on consecutive nights.
- Coby White is expected to be available for Chicago, which leads the NBA in bench scoring, while Portland looks for support from reserves after Caleb Love’s 17 points and Yang Hansen’s 9-5-3 line on Tuesday.