The Bulls were reunited with victory in the visit of the Blazers to the United Center. Those from Chicago prevailed 130-116 to win their 31st victory, a mark that allows them to regain second position in a very tight Eastern Conference in which just 2.5 games separate the first from the sixth place. Much less disputed is the area of play-in in the West, which allows Portland to continue holding tenth place despite having added another defeat this morning.
The defensive facilities granted by those from Oregon cost them dearly again, as they allowed the Bulls to score with relative ease and gradually widen the distance until they had a relatively comfortable closing match. The locals lived practically the entire second half with a double-digit income, and although this was never big enough for the clash to be sentenced, it did allow them not to suffer and recover sensations by adding a new victory to their locker.
Nikola Vucevic, with 24 points and 14 rebounds, was the best of his team in terms of numbers, closely followed by DeMar DeRozan’s 23 points. Zach LaVine stayed with 20, who also managed to consolidate himself as the third highest three-point player in the history of the Bulls, reaching 667 and definitely surpassing Scottie Pippen, with whom he had tied at 664 a few nights ago. Coby White, for his part, led the second unit with 18 points, multiplying the offensive weapons of some Bulls who, however, wanted to highlight their defensive work.
“In the last few games we’ve lost we’ve learned that our defense wasn’t good enough,” Vucevic said. “Even today we started giving them facilities, but as soon as we started to slow them down we were able to build a good advantage. If we want to be a competitive team and go far at the end of the season, we have to improve in that aspect.”
This improvement should arrive once Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso return to the track, who were not missed excessively this morning despite the problems caused by the backcourt from Portland. CJ McCollum, with 29 points, was the main visiting threat, followed by Norman Powell and Anfernee Simmons with 23 and 22 respectively. However, again, the defense was not up to the task, something Billups wanted to emphasize.
“We have left them too comfortable players, and that is something that, especially on their court, makes it very difficult to keep up with them,” said the coach. “They had 21 assists at halftime (they finished with 36). That shows that it is not that they have had a player doing crazy things, but that they have all been comfortable. They were moving the ball, finding good shots, and we’ve never been able to control them.”
(Cover photo: Stacy Revere/Getty Images)