Portland Trail Blazers vs Chicago Bulls Picks and Prediction: Shorthanded Portland Hits the Road in a Chicago Trap Game
In a stacked Thursday NBA slate the Trail Blazers visit the Bulls tonight with crucial injuries on both sides. Back the Bulls to cover the spread at +4.5.
OC Staff - February 26, 2026, 7:00 PM EST
3 Minute ReadPortland Trail Blazers vs Chicago Bulls Picks and Prediction: Shorthanded Portland Hits the Road in a Chicago Trap Game
Blazers vs Bulls Recent Performance
Portland comes in at 28-31, riding a see-saw of alternating wins and losses over the last five games since snapping a three-game winning streak. The Blazers are missing most of their firepower right now, Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons, and Damian Lillard are all out, and head coach Tiago Splitter is trying to get something out of a rotation that looks a lot like a summer league squad on paper. Jerami Grant (18.6 points per game) and Jrue Holiday are holding down the starting lineup, but nine of Portland's last ten games went over the total, which tells you they're getting into track meets while the defense leaks. They went 124-121 in a home loss to Minnesota last time out before grabbing back-to-back road wins, so the group can grind on the road. They just can't afford another night where Grant and Holiday shoulder everything while Scoot Henderson figures it out.
Chicago is on a 10-game losing streak, and the phrase "shameless tank" isn't strong enough at this point. The Bulls have lost those ten by an average that would make a Little League team blush. During this skid, Chicago averaged 106.2 points per game and got held under 100 in consecutive losses to the Knicks and Hornets. Their most embarrassing moment came against Charlotte, where they led by one at halftime and then got outscored 75-44 in the second half. Josh Giddey returned from injury after the break and has made five 3-pointers across four games since, so there's some life there, but this is still a roster being actively managed down toward the lottery.
Blazers vs Bulls Head to Head
The teams met once this season, Chicago won 122-121 in Portland on November 19, on a Nikola Vucevic game-winning three-pointer. Three months later, Vucevic isn't a Bull anymore, and neither are Coby White or Ayo Dosunmu. Of the Chicago players who suited up that night, only Giddey, Isaac Okoro, and Matas Buzelis are still on the roster. It's essentially a different team. The only relevant H2H number worth leaning on is this: five of the last six meetings between these two have gone under the total.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Chicago Bulls Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026
- Time: 8:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: Chicago Sports Network, Rip City TV Network, NBA League Pass
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Blazers vs Bulls Odds
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Blazers vs Bulls Team News
Portland's injury report is long enough to make your eyes water. Avdija is out with his recurring lower back issue, he's missed 10 of the last 17 games with this thing, reinjured it in the opening minute against Phoenix, and the team has made clear there's no rush to get him back. Sharpe is done for at least a month with a stress reaction in his left fibula, and Simons fractured his left wrist and isn't coming back anytime soon. Lillard continues his long Achilles recovery on the sideline. Robert Williams III is questionable with a right foot issue, and Caleb Love is on a G League assignment. Grant, Holiday, Clingan, and Camara lead the available group, four guys who can play, surrounded by a lot of question marks.
Chicago's list is shorter but still meaningful. Collins and Essengue are out for the season. Ivey is out with knee soreness. Smith and Patrick Williams are both doubtful with calf and quad strains, respectively, which effectively leaves Giddey, Buzelis, Collin Sexton, and Okoro as the core rotation. For a team actively trying to position itself for the draft lottery, having your best players healthy enough to keep games competitive without actually winning is almost the ideal scenario, and tonight that's plausibly what happens.
Prediction: Trail Blazers 118, Bulls 115
Portland wins, the losing streak hits eleven, but three points is all they get. The Blazers have no business being favored by four on the road in this state. Grant and Holiday will do their jobs, Clingan's 11.9 points and 11.5 boards per game give them an interior presence, and Portland's 31.3% offensive rebound rate usually creates extra possessions that compound over 48 minutes. But without Avdija generating offense from the forward spot and Sharpe creating off the bounce on the wing, Portland's offense is forced into a more predictable shape. Giddey gets 18 points, Buzelis plays with the energy of a guy auditioning for a real roster next season, and Chicago keeps this within shouting distance until Portland's depth advantage gradually takes over in the fourth. One possession, two at most, is the margin this game deserves.
Best Bet: Bulls +4.5 (-110) Click here to get the best odds at FanDuel Sportsbook
Chicago covering four points has nothing to do with ending the losing streak. It just requires the Bulls to play with the shooting efficiency they've actually shown this season, 58.2% true shooting, 54.9% effective field goal percentage, against a shorthanded Portland team that shoots 57.0% and 53.1% on those same metrics. The edge is real, and over 102 possessions it compounds. Chicago is 12-2 ATS as a home underdog between +3 and +6 this season. Portland, for their part, is 4-6 ATS as a road favorite of four points or more. The market respects Portland's net rating and road competency, but the market is also pricing in a roster that no longer exists tonight. A three-point final margin covers the four with room to spare.
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