NBA games of the week: New Year’s Resolutions
By Chazz Scogna
Tuesday, Jan. 2: Portland at Cleveland, 7:00 p.m. ET
Resolution: Pass the ball more / play more defense
Timing is funny. For 25 games, the Bulls were primed to be the team to take up the mantle of better offense. 2018 was going to be the year the Bulls were to improve or continue their tank into the depths of the top of the lottery.
But then the past 12 games happened and the Bulls won 10 of them. Of those 12, Chicago has scored at least 100 points in 10. Their 106.9 offensive rating over their streak has vaulted them from last in the NBA over the entire season to 29th! That’s a roundabout way of saying since the Bulls are about a month into their resolution, the Kings are the worst offense and defense, and since playing better is a little simple, the Cavaliers are the next in line to improve on something, namely D.
As for the Blazers, their assist rate is 47.9 percent, last in the league. The gap between Portland and the 29th ranked team, Phoenix, is 5.1 percent. If that 5.1 was added to the Suns, they’d jump from second-worst to 12th.
Portland is 28th in passes made per game, ranked ahead of Oklahoma City and Houston. The difference between the three teams is the Blazers lack the superstar talent and the play style that lends itself to effective play despite such a lack of ball movement.