NBA Power Rankings: Rudy Gobert leads Utah Jazz up the charts
By Phil Watson
16-28. Previous: . Chicago Bulls. 23. team. 24.
Last week: Lost at Boston 113-101, beat Washington 115-106, lost at Philadelphia 100-89, beat Cleveland 118-116
This week: Monday at Milwaukee, Wednesday vs. Minnesota, Friday vs. Sacramento, Saturday at Cleveland
It was not an unexpected 2-2 week for the Chicago Bulls last week, not with double-digit losses on the road to Eastern Conference powers Boston and Philadelphia and wins at home over the Wizards and Cavaliers. The Bulls are 3-3 since ending a six-game losing streak and are 10th in the conference, 3½ games behind eighth-place Brooklyn.
Zach LaVine continued his torrid 2020, averaging 31.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 35.8 minutes per game, shooting 54.4 percent overall and 36.7 percent on 7.5 deep balls per game. He had 42 points in the win over the Cavaliers and has scored at least 20 points in all 10 of Chicago’s games in January, topping 30 in six of them and cracking the 40-point mark twice.
Portland Trail Blazers. 22. team. 34. . 18-26. Previous:
Last week: Beat Charlotte 115-112, won at Houston 117-107, lost at Dallas 120-112, lost at Oklahoma City 119-106
This week: Monday vs. Golden State, Thursday vs. Dallas
With just two games this week, the Portland Trail Blazers will get a chance to do some recuperating after limping — literally — Saturday night to the end of a 2-2 week with just eight players available. Not surprisingly, the Blazers went down at Oklahoma City despite a huge night from second-year guard Gary Trent Jr., who scored a career-high 30 points.
He came in averaging 4.2 points a night, but was 12-for-18 overall and 5-for-9 from 3-point range in 36 minutes off the bench. Portland got even more shorthanded when it lost CJ McCollum to a sprained ankle in the Friday loss at Dallas.
Damian Lillard did what he could to carry the Blazers, averaging 30.8 points, 8.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 37.3 minutes per game. Lillard made 48.8 percent of his shots overall and hit 35.0 percent on 10.0 attempts a night from 3-point range. Lillard went for 34 points and 10 assists in the Dallas game.