PORTLAND — Coby White had 21 points and 10 rebounds and the short-handed Chicago Bulls downed the Portland Trail Blazers 111-108 on Tuesday night.
Otto Porter Jr. added 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won four of their last five games.
CJ McCollum led the Blazers with 26 points, including six 3-pointers. Damian Lillard had 24 points and nine assists.
The Blazers led by as many as 20 points early in the game, but the Bulls chipped away at the lead, tying it in the fourth quarter at 91 on Porter’s 3-pointer. Garrett Temple’s 3 gave the Bulls a 96-94 lead with 6:36 left.
Portland reclaimed a 100-98 lead on Carmelo Anthony’s 3-pointer before Chicago rookie Patrick Williams’ floater tied it again with 4:12 to go. Porter’s pull-up jumper made it 104-100 with just over three minutes left.
Lillard was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all his free throws, pulling Portland within 106-103. He added two free throws with 30.8 seconds left to narrow the gap further.
Zach LaVine’s step-back 3-pointer appeared to be the winner for Chicago — until Lillard made a 3 to get the Blazers within a point again with 5.7 seconds to go. White made a pair of free throws to put Chicago up 111-108 and Portland fell short.
The Blazers were coming off a 137-122 loss to Golden State on Sunday. Golden State’s Stephen Curry scored a career-high 62 points against Portland.
After going 0-3 to start the season, the Bulls have improved. They’re coming off a 118-108 victory over the Mavericks, paced by LaVine’s 39 points.
The Bulls were without Lauri Markkanen, Ryan Arcidiacono, Chandler Hutchinson and Tomas Satoransky for the fourth straight game because of the league’s COVID-19 protocols. Hutchinson and Satoransky tested positive and are isolating.
The Blazers made four straight 3-pointers to open the game and went on a 14-0 run to close out the first quarter with a 39-21 lead. Gary Trent Jr.’s shot from distance gave Portland a 47-27 lead.
The Bulls closed the gap with a 13-0 run capped by Porter’s 3-pointer to get within 47-40. The Blazers went into halftime with a 54-45 lead.
Wendell Carter Jr. made a pair of free throws to get Chicago within 67-62, but Derrick Jones Jr. answered for the Blazers with a resounding dunk.
Temple hit a jumper and a 3-pointer to close out the third quarter and close the margin to 85-81.
TIP INS
Bulls: It was the first of a four-game road trip for the Bulls. … All five of Chicago’s starters were in double figures. … Williams has started in every game his rookie season, so far.
Trail Blazers: Forward Nassir Little was available after recovering from coronavirus. Rodney Hood was questionable with a left quad strain. … With his first 3-pointer of the night, Lillard became the 18th player in NBA history to reach 1,800 career 3s.
UP NEXT
The Bulls visit Sacramento on Wednesday night.
The Trail Blazers host the Timberwolves on Thursday.
