PORTLAND, Jan 29: DeMar DeRozan finished with 20 points and the Chicago Bulls snapped a two-game losing streak with a 104-96 victory over the Portland Trail Blazer on Sunday night.
Coby White had 15 points and 10 assists for the Bulls, playing the last of a short three-game road trip, while Andre Drummond came off the bench with 15. Ayo Dosunmu’s 3-pointer with 21 seconds left all but sealed the win.
The Bulls, who were never able to extend their lead by more than 11 points and made just eight of 32 3-point attempts, relied on defence for the victory.
Jerami Grant led Portland with 24 points, while Deandre Ayton had 22 and 12 rebounds. The Blazers have lost four of their last five games.
The Bulls narrowly led by 76-75 going into the final quarter. Chicago rookie Julian Phillips’ 3-pointer stretched the lead to 88-80.
Anfernee Simons’ 3-pointer with 4:34 left got Portland within 92-89 before DeRozan’s 3 on the other end ended the threat.
Simons got the Blazers within 99-96 late in the game but Dosunmu’s 3-pointer snuffed any attempt at a final rally.
Dosunmu’s 3 came off a pass from Nikola Vucevic.
The Bulls were without Patrick Williams, who has a sore left foot and is scheduled to undergo additional imaging in Chicago before there’s a timeline for his return.
Williams, averaging 10 points a game, played on Thursday in Los Angeles when the Bulls fell to the Lakers 141-132. His absence impacts Chicago, which is already missing Zach LaVine and Torrey Craig.
Grant (back soreness) and rookie Scoot Henderson (quad contusion) were game-time decisions for the Blazers, but both played. Portland, sitting second-to-last in the Western Conference, has struggled throughout January with injuries and illness.
The Blazers were coming off a 1-3 road trip that ended on Friday with a 116-100 loss to the Spurs.
Portland trailed for the nearly all of the first quarter but closed the gap midway through the second and tied the game at 30 on Duop Reath’s 3-pointer. White answered for the Bulls with a 3 of his own.
The Bulls stretched the lead to 53-42 at halftime. White led all players with 11 points.
Portland closed within 59-55 after Ayton’s second straight dunk but the Blazers couldn’t get closer until Ayton made a pair of free throws that tied it at 67. Portland pulled ahead on Grant’s free throw and the teams wrestled for the lead the rest of the third quarter.
The Blazers also struggled from the perimeter, making just six of 33 3-point attempts.
Bey’s last-second dunk helps Hawks win
Saddiq Bey dunked in Trae Young’s miss with 1.1 seconds left to lift the Atlanta Hawks to a 126-125 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.
It was the fifth straight loss was for the short-handed Raptors.
The Raptors had taken a one-point lead when a turnover in the backcourt led to a dunk by Scottie Barnes with seven seconds remaining.
Bey finished with a season-high 26 points and he also grabbed 13 rebounds. Young had 30 points and 12 assists as the Hawks overcame a night where they shot just 6 for 27 (22%) from 3.
Clint Capela finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds for Atlanta and Jalen Johnson had 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Raptors visit the Bulls on Tuesday. (AP)
