Portland Trail Blazers game previews between November 14 and November 20, including games against: Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans, Chicago Bulls.

The way last week's loss to the Clippers went, we're better off forgetting last week even happened. As of now, they're 7-4, tied for 4th place in the Western Conference with the Jazz, but the Trail Blazers have some formidable foes ahead of them this week, especially being on the road for 3 of the four games. 

Chicago Bulls

Tuesday, 15 November 2016 at 10:00 PM ET Home

The Bulls are really good, and doing a lot better than anyone would've anticipated. They're playing stout defense, and hitting their shots thanks to strong play from Jimmy Butler and a consistent Dwyane Wade who is handling the supporting role well, along with Rajon Rondo and Robin Lopez. Expect a dog fight between Damian Lillard and Jimmy Butler, but Portland has a slight edge due to them being at home.

Houston Rockets

Thursday, 17 November 2016 at 08:00 PM ET Away

James Harden is the point guard for the Rockets, and he's doing an excellent job, but he hasn't exactly been a very efficient point guard either.  While he has been averaging 30 points, 13 assists, and 8 rebounds per game on the season, he is also averaging nearly 6 turnovers per game. The two things the Blazers need to contain to win the game are the Rockets free throws and 3 pointers made. By having Mo Harkless guard Harden, it should help, but not entirely as Harden is very good at slicing his way into the paint and drawing fouls. The main thing for the Blazers is that aside from Harden penetrating the paint, there is almost no interior offense that the Blazers need to concentrate on.

New Orleans Pelicans

Friday, 18 November 2016 at 08:00 PM ET Away

The Pelicans this season have been, well, to put it bluntly, terrible. Anthony Davis still continues to do Anthony Davis things, but eventually, he'll hurt himself from carrying the team. Tim Frazier has been the lone bright spot for the team, and while Buddy Hield is finally starting to come on, you can't expect too much from him as a rookie. Jrue Holiday might return from leave, however, and while he's an interesting wild card for this game, he hasn't played a single NBA game yet this season, so there is not much to expect from the Pelicans as whole for this game. Just let Anthony Davis get his points and shut everyone else down on defense.

Brooklyn Nets

Sunday, 20 November 2016 at 03:30 PM ET Away

The Nets are anything but a good NBA team, and with the absence of Jeremy Lin due to a hamstring injury, a win seems even more within the Blazers grasp. Sean Kilpatrick has filled in very nicely for Lin, but overall the Nets are a worse defensive team, and the game should be a relatively easy win for Portland, even on the road.