The Chicago Bulls started off what has become known as their “Circus trip” with a 113-88 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. It was the first game of a 6-game road trip. The Win improves the Bulls record to 7-4 while the Trail Blazers fell to 7-5 on the year.
The Bulls jumped pout to a 10-0 lead before a couple of Mason Plumlee free throws got the Trail Blazers on the board. A Taj Gibson basket gave the Bulls a 21-point lead at 30 to 9 with 2:05 left in the period. The team each managed 5 more points apiece and the 1st quarter came to am end with the Bulls ahead 35-14.
The Bulls stretched the lead to 25 at 39-14 before Portland started to get going in the 2nd quarter. Even though the Trail Blazers had a better 2nd quarter they where only able to knock 2 points off the Bulls lead as they outscored the Bulls 23-21 in the 2nd quarter. Chicago went into halftime with a 19 points lead at 56-37.
The teams played a very even 3rd quarter. The Trail Blazers never got closer than 17 points after Damien Lillard hit a 3-pointer with 0:53 seconds left in the quarter. Jerian Grant then score the next 5 points for the Bulls to make it a 83-61 game. An Ed Davis basket ended the quarter with the Bulls up by 20 points 83-63 after three quarters.
The Bulls where able to rest there starters in the 4th quarter, but still added to there lead. Portland was never able to get the lead under points as the Bulls outscored the Trail Blazers 30 to 25 in the 4th quarter to pull away to a 113-88 victory.
Jimmy Butler was the high scorer in the game with 27 points as all the Bulls starters scored in double figures. Butler also grabbed a team high 12 rebounds and tied for the game high in assists with 5. Dwayne Wade scored 19 points and tied Butler with a game high 5 assists. Jerian Grant got the start in place of Rajon Rondo and scored 18 points. Rondo sat out with an ankle injury. Robin Lopez scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Taj Gibson scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as well.
Damien Lillard didn’t shoot very well going 7 for 22 from the field, but he still led the Trail Blazers in points with 19. C.J. McCollum scored 17 points while Allen Crabbe came of the bench to score 15 points. Maurice Harkless grabbed a team high 8 rebounds to lead the team and Lilliard, McCollum and Mason Plumlee all dished out 4 assists to tie for the team lead.
The win was the Bulls (7-4) 3rd in a row and they’ll put that streak on the line as they travel to Utah to play the 7-5 Jazz Thursday night. The Trail Blazers (7-5) also play Thursday night as they head out on the row to face the 6-4 Houston Rockets.
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