Shorthanded Bulls start fast on circus trip
The Chicago Bulls got a chance to test their depth on the first stop of the circus road trip and delivered impressive results.
With Jerian Grant getting his first start of the season, the Bulls jumped out to a big early lead and cruised past the Portland Trail Blazers 113-88 on Tuesday night at the Moda Center. Jimmy Butler paced the Bulls with 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Dwyane Wade scored 19 and Grant added 18.
Grant started a point guard because Rajon Rondo turned his left ankle in Monday's practice and was a late scratch. The Bulls also are missing Doug McDermott, who didn't make the trip due to a concussion.
The Bulls (7-4) were able to take advantage of Portland's weaknesses. The Blazers are among the NBA's worst teams in rebounds and allowing free throws. The Bulls finished with a 67-49 advantage on the glass and went 24-for-28 at the foul line.
The first quarter couldn't have gone much better as the Bulls built an early 35-14 lead behind 13 points by Butler and 9 from former Blazers center Robin Lopez. Portland never made a serious run the rest of the game.
The Bulls jumped out to a quick 10-0 edge before the Blazers scored their first points on a pair of Mason Plumlee free throws at the 8:36 mark.
Grant's 3-pointer boosted the lead to 13-2 and Portland finally hit its first basket on a C.J. McCollum lay-in with 6:49 left in the first quarter. The Blazers missed their first 11 shots.
McDermott is usually the first player off the Bulls' bench. This time coach Fred Hoiberg sent in Isaiah Canaan for Wade and the lead continued to grow, reaching 24-7 and then 30-9.
This was the first stop of the six-game circus road trip. In fact, this may be the last circus road trip, since the Bulls, Blackhawks and United Center have all agreed to end the tradition of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus moving into the arena for two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.
It has been a long-standing tradition in Chicago. The Bulls have had a long, late-November road trip on their schedule every year since 1973.
Wade is new to the tradition as a Bulls player and talked about the trip at Tuesday's shootaround.
"Everyone has this longer road trip in the NBA. The Bulls have a cool name in the Circus Trip," Wade told reporters, according to csnchicago.com. "The Heat didn't have one. San Antonio got a cool name, the Rodeo Trip. The Clippers have the Grammy Trip. We didn't have one in Miami.
"It's the same thing. It's good. It's a time you get out here and you're playing the best talent in the NBA in the Western Conference. You build confidence by being able to get wins out here."
This was the Bulls' first game against a Western Conference opponent this season. After Portland, they'll visit Utah, Los Angeles to face the Clippers and Lakers on consecutive days this weekend, Denver and finally Philadelphia on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
"If you go 4-2 (on the trip), you're good," Wade said. "You go 5-1, ooh. I always go with that mindset, 'Hey, you go on a six-game trip and you go 3-3, it's a solid trip for you.' You go anything over that, it's love."
Portland started the night with a 7-4 record thanks to its high-scoring backcourt. Damien Lillard started the night third in the league in scoring at 30.7 points, while McCollum averaged 22.1 points. Lillard led the Blazers with 19 points Tuesday.
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