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Live from the Moda Center as the Portland Trail Blazers host the Chicago Bulls.

What’s that? Oh, just eight wins in a row—including four straight on the road—for the red hot Blazers. They inexplicably find themselves with the third best record in the entire league, a high water mark that nobody would have predicted for this team before the season started.

Are they actually this good? No. The quality of opposition during this winning streak has been...below average, to put it nicely. But Portland’s offense is absolutely this legit, and their defense is improving from awful to mediocre by the day. And hey, eight wins is eight wins, even when two come against the Washington Generals Sacramento Kings.

The national media is starting to notice that there are some things brewing in Rip City and for good reason. Terry Stotts has crafted an offensive juggernaut, one that is all spacing and passing and three pointers and LaMarcus Aldridge mid-range jumpers. It can’t last—Wesley Matthews is currently hitting 50% percent of his three-point attempts, an unsustainable mark for everyone this side of Steph Curry—but the ride has been fun as hell thus far. With apologies to Nate McMillan and his plodding offense, this is the most aesthetically pleasing Blazers team since Arvydas Sabonis was throwing no-look behind the back passes to infinity.

Dust off the Sega Genesis and let's basketball.

PRE-GAME:
Chicago will be the first major test for the Blazers since this winning streak began. The Bulls offense is a little shaky to start the year (my eyes!), but as has become custom they own one of the best defenses in the league. If anything can ground Portland’s three-point barrage, it’s Tom Thibodeau’s husky rasp defensive system.

Derrick Rose has looked rusty coming off of a torn ACL, and has yet to truly explode back to his previous MVP level. Emerging talent Jimmy Butler will sit out with a turf toe injury. Joakim Noah —aka the greatest dude in the league and you can’t tell me otherwise—is rounding into form after dealing with a few nagging injuries. At least Kirk Hinrich’s accessorizing game is on point.

Tonight is going to come down to what scheme works best—Portland’s offense or Chicago’s defense. An immovable object against an unstoppable force. However, Chicago is coming in on the second night of a back to back after losing in Denver last night. I'd say the energy might not be there for the Bulls, but, come on, this is a Thibs coached team. Hustle might be the only word he knows, like a lovable basketball Hodor.

In better news, Koi Fusion has decided to honor the new Egg McMuffin coupons in exchange for free tacos. At this point there is a better chance of a “Koi-Fus-ion” chant breaking out instead of the “Mick-Eee-Dees” one the team is trying to push.

Wow, there are a ton of Bulls fans in the house tonight. These people realize Michael Jordan isn't walking through that door, right? Maybe they just really love Carlos Boozer?

FIRST QUARTER:
10:50 - Four straight points for Boozer. The crowd is cheering pretty loudly for his makes, so they really must love him that much. Who knew? 4-0 Bulls.

9:00 - Both Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum have connected from distance. The three-point barrage continues, and I can hear Tom Thibodeau yelling at his defense from way up here in press row. 6-6 Tie.

7:39 - LaMarcus Aldridge can't find his shot on one end, and Rose has two straight layups—followed by two huge cheers from the crowd—for Chicago. 15-8 Bulls.

6:04 - Aldridge is 0-4, missing a couple of normally automatic twenty-footers, and the Bulls have quickly doubled up Portland early. 20-10 Bulls.

4:39 - Matthews with the quick five point run all on his own. That step-back three of his can't miss right now (sorry I said you couldn't keep shooting 50% from three!) and he is playing angry. He's the only one showing any life right now for Portland. 22-15 Bulls.

2:39 - Portland finally grabbed an offensive rebound—they are getting beat on the boards 12-3 right now—but Robin Lopez was only able to sink one of two free throws on the ensuing foul on his put-back attempt. 26-18 Bulls.

0:48 - Luol Deng has as many offensive rebounds (four) as Portland has a team. Combined. That is not a winning formula. 32-20 Bulls.

0:00 - The road trip hangover is on. The Blazers are flat flat flat, shooting under 39% for the first quarter. They are not getting to loose balls, not securing rebounds, and the Bulls are running them out of the gym. Not even the weak "MVP" chant for Lillard coming from the 300 level is making a difference. 32-22 Bulls.

SECOND QUARTER:
11:30 - Credit to Joel Freeland for going up for that block, but woah did Taj Gibson just put him on a poster. Why is Joel crying? Cause he just got dunked on. 34-22 Bulls.

9:40 - That's a 7-2 run for the Bulls to start the quarter. This is getting dangerously close to blowout territory. 39-24 Bulls.

7:58 - Ten rebounds for Deng. Dang. Portland has seven as a team. The Bulls are running off of every miss, and Portland can't do a thing to keep up. So far defense is beating offense, and it isn't even close. 44-25 Bulls.

6:30 - Mo Williams: Human Turnstile. Off of a normal rebound, Derrick Rose just flat out beat Williams down the court for an easy layup, and he now has twelve points on the night. Yep, that's a timeout to bench Williams. 48-27 Bulls.

3:40 - Portland has to make a run here. Down twenty, with Aldridge shooting 1-10 on the night. If they can't chip into this lead before half, this one is all but over. 51-31 Bulls.

2:40 - There's some movement in the right direction. A corner three from Matthews—yep, 3-6 from distance on the night, still shooting 50%—followed by two free throws from Lillard. Now they just need to get a couple of stops on the defensive end. 53-36 Bulls.

1:09 - Well, giving up two offensive rebounds is not going to cut it. Carlos Boozer was able to score after keeping the possession alive. Again. On the other end, Batum broke Deng's ankles with a crossover (haven't seen that move much from Nicolas), and was fouled on a three. He drained all the freebies. 55-41 Bulls.

0:22 - Wild. Lopez just got the crowd pumped for the first time by blocking a shot and ripping away the rebound, but the Blazers weren't able to convert on their possession. Hinrich saved the ball from going out of bounds, which lead to a fast break. Batum blocked the initial Deng shot in transition, but, like it has been all night, Boozer was there to easily put back the miss. 57-41 Bulls.

0:00 - The half was saved by another Matthews corner three. The Bulls lead is at least more manageable for the second half after that triple. Whew. 59-44 Bulls.

THIRD QUARTER:
11:50 - Blazers go right to LaMarcus on the opening possession, and he's fouled. He hit both foul shots, and hopefully that will get him out of his slump. 59-46 Bulls.

10:40 - Yep, Aldridge drained a twenty footer on his next shot. Here we go. 61-50 Bulls.

8:57 - Hey, the Blazers got an offensive rebound! Twice! Lopez cleaned up the mess after Lillard and Batum missed threes, and Portland is looking alive. 66-54 Bulls.

8:29 - A corner three from Lillard! This game is quickly down to single digits. The crowd is into it, and the Bulls are forced to take a timeout to stop the bleeding. 66-57 Bulls.

7:00 - Three straight turnovers for the Bulls after their last timeout. Lopez kept another possession alive with an offensive rebound, and Batum hit a jumper to make them pay. The roles are looking reversed in the second half, and the Bulls look a little rattled. 66-59 Bulls.

6:09 - Oh man, Thibs is going to cut somebody. The Bulls just got trapped trying to get the ball over half-court, with Batum denying Rose the ball. Boozer forced a bad bass to Deng who fumbled it out of bounds. The Blazers caught the Bulls sleeping and quickly inbounded to Matthews who sunk an open layup. Thibs is furious. Timeout. 66-62 Bulls.

3:33 - The Bulls have seriously turned the ball over on like ten straight possessions. It is bonkers in here. The Bulls are just collapsing. Batum had a chance at an open three to really blow it open, but it clanked off. Still, this is now a tie game somehow. It was a twenty point Bulls lead not that long ago. I don't think I've heard the Moda Center this loud this year. 68-68 Tie.

2:52 - Um, Blazers lead? Okay! Blazers lead! 71-70 Blazers.

2:19 - Two straight threes for Mo Williams! 74-70 Blazers.

0:00 - I don't even know what just happened. The Blazers outscored the Bulls 34-12 in the third quarter. I just. I don't even. Wow. The Bulls were running their offense every possession like they were about to call a timeout, just walking into their sets and not even trying. Portland forced infinity turnovers. Robin Lopez was an absolute beast, gobbling up every single rebound. And now it looks like Derrick Rose is getting his knee checked out by trainers. 78-71 Blazers.

FOURTH QUARTER:
11:06 - Well, the Bulls are not going away. That's five straight to open the quarter. But Derrick Rose is now back in the locker room (noooooo!), and it looks like he may not return tonight. 78-76 Blazers.

8:09 - Things aren't quite flowing as well offensively for Portland this quarter. Which, of course, because that third quarter was unreal. Still, the Bulls are hanging tough and contesting shots a little more eagerly. 83-81 Blazers.

6:23 - After a bunch of misses from both teams, Lillard finally breaks the tie game with a jumper. Both offenses are all kinds of cold right now. 85-83 Blazers.

5:35 - Bad news all around. Lillard just picked up his fifth foul on a questionable call, and the Bulls PR team just confirmed Rose will not return tonight after suffering a right knee injury. Brutal. I sure hope he is okay. 85-83 Blazers.

4:19 - Nervous time. The Bulls just retook the lead, forced a turnover and foul, and picked up a free throw to boot. 88-85 Bulls.

3:58 - Nervous what? Lillard just tied it up with a deep three. 88-88 Tie.

3:11 - Okay, nervous time again. Behind a Hinrich three, the Bulls have opened up a five point lead. 93-88 Bulls.

2:14 - These teams are in full on bombs away mode right now. Lillard three, Batum three, Gibson jumper. Everything is going in. First team to get a stop wins. 95-94 Bulls.

1:37 - Matthews can't miss. Period. He is on another level right now. I take it all back—he can shoot 100% for the rest of the season. 96-95 Blazers.

0:44 - Portland bailed out with a foul call after Aldridge threw up a prayer, and Robin Lopez was dragged down on the rebound. The Blazers keep the ball. Timeout. 96-95 Blazers.

0:36 - Batum with the step-back three, Batum with the...miss. The crowd thought it went in as it looked like a swish, but it was a few inches short. Airball. Bulls ball, down one, 0:36 left. 96-95 Blazers.

0:12 - Blazers with the defensive stand! The Bulls had a couple good looks at it, but couldn't convert. Mike Dunleavy almost came through with the dagger three, but instead it is Portland ball. Now comes the foul game. You gotta make your free throws. 96-95 Blazers.

0:07 - LaMarcus gets the foul on the ensuing inbounds play. Two free throws coming. One is up, one is good! Two is up, two is good! 98-95 Blazers.

0:00 - Wow. Deng missed a three on the final play, and the Blazers win!!

FINAL: 98-95 Blazers. Portland kept their winning steak alive, clawing back from twenty plus down to win their ninth in a row. They look to keep the winning ways going tomorrow night in Oakland against the Warriors.