Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups got back two key players, lost one, tweaked the starting lineup and then attempted to snap a five-game losing streak and avoid going 0-5 on their current home stand.
The Blazers found the right formula, showed improvement on defense and generated enough offense to win 113-102 at the Moda Center.
Billups said before the game that Shaedon Sharpe’s defensive lapses caused him to remove the third-year guard from the starting lineup. Billups did so even though guard Anfernee Simons sat out with an elbow injury.
Billups started Scoot Henderson, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, Jerami Grant and Deandre Ayton.
Henderson led the way with 25 points and eight assists. Sharpe came off the bench to score 23 points in 33 minutes.
The key stat of the night might have been that the Bulls shot just 27.6% from three-point range while attempting 29.
The Bulls entered the night ranked second in the NBA in three-point attempts (43.2), tied for second with 16.1 makes and seventh in percentage (37.3%).
But the Blazers did a great job denying open looks for the Bulls, who often settled for contested threes.
“I just wanted to make sure we made as many efforts as we can on each play to just try to run them off the line,” Billups said. “And then when they shot them, because they would, just contest them. Not just let them have open threes, because they can really hurt you that way.”
Deni Avdija #8 of the Portland Trail Blazers shoots the ball against Matas Buzelis (L) #14 and Jalen Smith #7 of the Chicago Bulls during the first half at Moda Center on January 19, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)Getty Images
The Blazers didn’t shoot well from long distance, either, shooting 29%. But the Blazers racked up 24 second-chance points on 14 offensive rebounds while holding the Bulls to 15 such points on eight offensive rebounds.
Portland outrebounded Chicago 50-36.
“We had DA back tonight, we had Deni back tonight and we win plus-14 on the glass,” Billups said. “We don’t come in here many times and are able to say that.”
The rebounding led to the Blazers scoring 17 fastbreak points compared to six for the Bulls.
“When we can get out and get our guys going and play fast and move the basketball, we’re pretty tough to play against,” Billups said.
The starters got off to a poor start. The Blazers fell behind by 15 points in the first quarter. But they came back to tie the game at 45-45 with 3:26 to go in the second quarter after Henderson and Grant hit back-to-back threes.
The halftime score stood at 53-53 thanks in large part to the Bulls shooting 3 of 18 from three-point range (16.7%).
The Blazers took control of the game in the third quarter, where Avdija scored 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting to help Portland go up 87-77 entering the fourth.
The Blazers built a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter and the Bulls never recovered.
Shaedon Sharpe #17 of the Portland Trail Blazers dribbles the ball against Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Chicago Bulls during the first half at Moda Center on January 19, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)Getty Images
Guard Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 27 points and center Nikola Vucevic scored 17 with 11 rebounds and seven assists. But they weren’t enough to help the Bulls overcome the Blazers’ improved defense, which received a boost from the return of Avdija.
“I thought defensively, we were amazing,” Billups said. “We ran around, we contested everything. Even on the dribble, we tried to stop them. They’re tough to defend and they play so fast. They get downhill on you. They relocate. I mean, they’re just tough to play against.”
WHAT IT MEANS
The Blazers (14-28) avoided matching their longest losing streak of the season (six) and managed to close out their home stand with a victory after losing the first four.
The Bulls (19-24) lost their fifth consecutive game but remained 10th in the Eastern Conference standings.
Next, the Blazers head out for three road games, starting Tuesday night at the Miami Heat, and do propelled by a positive vibe.
“Like Chauncey always says, ‘We stopped the bleeding,’” Sharpe said. “Gotta take this energy and carry it over to Miami and the rest of the games.”
INJURIES
Simons injured his elbow during Saturday night’s loss to the Houston Rockets. Robert Williams III rested because the Blazers prefer not to play him on back-to-back nights.
NEXT UP
The Blazers start a three-game trip with a 4:30 p.m. game Tuesday at the Miami Heat (21-20). The Heat defeated the Blazers 119-98 to start their home stand.
— Aaron Fentress | [email protected] | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)
