DENVER -- It's not like the Bulls' season-high, six-game trip gets easier on Friday.
The Trail Blazers, one of the surprise early teams, have won eight straight and possess the league's third-best record.
'They're playing great basketball,' coach Tom Thibodeau said. 'They have a lot of offensive weapons. In many ways, they're similar to what we faced (Thursday night in Denver). There are going to be five guys on the floor who can score. We have to be tied together, challenge shots and finish our defense.'
Also similar to Denver, the Bulls historically have struggled in Portland. They have lost five straight and and nine of 11 here.
'We have to hit first and ask questions later,' Taj Gibson said. 'We need to set the tone right away and play the normal style of defense we're capable of. We have to be mentally focused and not have our heads down.'
With Thursday's late tipoff for TV, the Bulls didn't arrive in Portland until the middle of the night. LaMarcus Aldridge typically has hurt the Bulls, averaging 23 points against them last season. Portland also has positional size with Robin Lopez at center and the long Nicolas Batum at wing.
This will mark the first matchup between Derrick Rose and reigning Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard.
'He's a great young player,' Rose said. 'He's playing with a lot of confidence right now. It should be a fun matchup with both teams.'
kcjohnson@tribune.com
Twitter @kcjhoop
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