Bulls-Trail Blazers Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Nov 18 2012 1:53AM

The Portland Trail Blazers were going through some shaky times the last time they were preparing to face the Chicago Bulls.

New coach Terry Stotts seems to have a solid foundation in place now with rookie Damian Lillard playing alongside LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews.

Portland goes for its first three-game winning streak since the start of last season on Sunday night when the visiting Bulls try to avoid their first set of back-to-back losses this season.

With the Blazers in 12th place in the Western Conference at 20-23, the team fired coach Nate McMillan on March 15 and replaced him with interim coach Kaleb Canales. It was the same day Portland waived former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden and traded Gerald Wallace to New Jersey.

The following day, the Blazers posted a 100-89 victory at Chicago, as Aldridge scored 21 points, Matthews added 18 and Batum finished with 15 against a Bulls team playing without former MVP Derrick Rose (strained groin).

Portland (4-5) will again face Chicago (5-4) without Rose, who continues to rehab an ACL tear suffered last postseason.

While the Bulls try to move on without their leading scorer, the Blazers have received a major boost from Lillard, the No. 6 overall pick. The rookie from Weber State is averaging 19.3 points and 6.4 assists after scoring a season-best 27 with five assists in 119-117 overtime win over Houston on Friday.

"Took big shots, made big shots," Aldridge said of Lillard, who scored 16 of the team's final 21 points.

Lillard is not alone. In the last two contests, Aldridge, Batum, Matthews and Lillard have combined for 180 of the team's 222 points and 19 of its 24 3-pointers to help Portland bounce back from a four-game skid.

Friday marked the first time three Blazers scored 27 or more since Nov. 14, 1997, as Batum finished with a career high-tying 35 and Aldridge added 29.

That does not bode well for a Bulls team that's surrendered 101 points or more in three consecutive games following Saturday's 101-80 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Chicago also has problems to fix on the offensive end after shooting 33.7 percent (30 for 89), including 2 for 14 from long range.

The Bulls have a league-low 33 3s.

"I think we took a couple of steps back tonight," said Joakim Noah, who followed up a 21-point outing in Wednesday's 112-106 OT win at Phoenix with four points on a career-worst 0-for-6 effort from the field.

The Bulls also need more production from Luol Deng, who scored 14 points on Saturday in one his worst shooting nights of the season (5 for 16).

Carlos Boozer, though, has come up big in the last two games, totaling 50 points and 26 rebounds.

Boozer, who had 22 points and 14 rebounds in last season's loss to the Blazers, grabbed a career-best 23 boards in a 93-89 OT victory at Portland on Feb. 21, 2010, while with Utah.

Aldridge, a Bulls first-round pick in 2006, is averaging 30.4 points and 8.4 rebounds in his last five games against the Bulls.

The Blazers' big man had a career-best 42 points in Chicago's last visit to the Rose Garden, a 109-103 Portland win on Feb. 7, 2011.

Portland has won four straight and 10 of 12 at home in this series.

Blazers beat Bulls 102-94 for third straight win

By ANNE M. PETERSON
Posted Nov 19 2012 12:48AM

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Wesley Matthews was kind of taken aback when he was told that Portland's last three-game winning streak came in the Trail Blazers' first three games of last season.

The Blazers had been unable to string a trio of wins together since then until Sunday night, when they beat the Chicago Bulls 102-94.

"It feels good, getting our juices going, our confident going," said Matthews, who had 21 points. "We're finally playing like a team that knows how to win."

The other two wins, a 103-89 victory at Sacramento before a 119-117 overtime victory over Houston at the Rose Garden on Friday, came after a three-game losing streak.

As for it being the longest winning streak since the Blazers opened last season with three wins, Matthews shook his head. Portland finished the lockout season 28-39, capped by a seven-game losing streak.

"Last season was such a debacle," he said. "I don't want to talk about it for the rest of my life."

Nicolas Batum also scored 21 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points and 13 rebounds as all of Portland's starters were in double figures.

After trailing by as many as 15 in the third quarter, the Bulls came back to tie it at 73 early in the fourth. But Portland pulled back in front 87-75 on Matthews' pull-up jumper with 5:04 left.

Matthews appeared to seal it with a 3-pointer that made it 93-81 with 1:26 left, but Nate Robinson hit a 3 to narrow it to 98-94 with 13.9 seconds to go. Batum and Aldridge each hit a pair of free throws and rookie Damian Lillard dunked to help the Blazers hang on.

Joakim Noah had 16 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for Chicago, which lost its second straight after falling 101-80 to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday night. The Bulls (5-5) had not lost two straight this season.

"The defense right now, the intensity, we've got to get that part right," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "The defense, the rebounds and the turnovers, all three are a problem right now, so we've got to correct that. Those three things put you in a position to win."

The Blazers have won five straight games against the Bulls at the Rose Garden.

Portland improved to 5-5 in coach Terry Stotts' first season with the team.

"It's good to be .500, but we didn't go into the game saying `Let's be .500,"' Stotts said. "The important thing is winning at home and playing well. The record takes care of itself."

Chicago pulled ahead 30-23 with about 10 seconds left in the first quarter on Luol Deng's layup. Matthews' pullup jumper tied it at 32 before Aldridge made a jumper to put the Blazers in front.

Batum's dunk with 3:59 left in the half gave Portland a 43-39 lead. The Blazers went on to lead 51-43 at the break. Batum opened the second half with a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 54-43. Another Batum 3 put Portland ahead 61-47 and yet another one made it 67-53.

Taj Gibson got the Bulls within 69-64 with a layup with 2:31 left in the quarter. Chicago pulled even closer on Deng's layup to open the final quarter, then evened it at 73 at Gibson made a layup and a free throw.

Ronnie Price's long jumper prevented the Bulls from taking the lead, and Batum's 3-pointer and Price's layup extended it. Price also hit a free throw, making him the first Blazers reserve to score in double digits this season.

Price, who has been hampered this season by a right ankle injury, finished with 10 points and five assists. The Blazers could use his help to spell Lillard, the sixth overall pick in the June NBA draft.

"I'm not completely 100 percent by any means, but I'm able to contribute," he said.

Lillard finished with 16 points and J.J. Hickson had 10.

Notes: Portland won the only meeting against the Bulls last season, a 100-89 victory in Chicago. It was the first game under interim head coach Kaleb Canales following the dismissal of Nate McMillan. Canales was retained as an assistant after the Blazers hired coach Terry Stotts in the offseason. ... Chicago's Luol Deng and Portland's Joel Freeland were teammates on Britain's Olympic basketball team. ... Lillard is the first player to average 19 points and six assists through his first 10 games since Isiah Thomas in 1981. ... It was Portland's first game of the season with six total players in double figures.

Notebook: Trail Blazers 102, Bulls 94

Kerry Eggers, For NBA.com
Posted Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:12 AM - Updated Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:12 AM

THE FACTS: Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum each scored 21 points, while LaMarcus Aldridge collected 18 points and a team-high 13 rebounds as Portland (5-5) won its third straight game. The Blazers led 64-49 midway through the third quarter but Chicago rallied to draw even at 73-73. The Blazers responded with an 8-0 run and were in front 87-75 before the Bulls snipped the margin to 88-81 with 3:32 remaining. Matthews scored five in a row to make it a 93-81 lead, but Chicago wasn't done, getting to within 98-94 with 13.9 seconds to go. Joakim Noah filled up the box score with team highs in points (16), rebounds (15) and assists (8) for Chicago (5-5), which lost for second straight night.

QUOTABLE: "He just busts out. He has a lot of confidence in taking those shots. When he is on a roll, it's impressive. He can throw nine points up pretty quick."

-- Blazers coach Terry Stotts on Batum

THE STAT: Batum, who entered the game second in the league in 3-pointers made with 26, was 5-for-10 in Sunday's game. He becomes the first Blazers player to make at least 30 treys in his first 10 games of a season since Cliff Robinson in 1995.

TURNING POINT: After Chicago tied the game at 73-73 early in the fourth quarter, the Blazers went on a 14-2 that gave them just enough cushion to win.

QUOTABLE II: "We gave ourselves a chance, but we dug such a big hole that it was too much to get out of. The defense, the rebounding, the turnovers ... we have to get that part right."

-- Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau

HOT: Batum sank three 3-pointers in a span of five minutes to start the third quarter and stake Portland to a 15-point lead.

NOT: Chicago's Carlos Boozer seemed out of it. The veteran power forward was 2-for-8 from the field and finished with four points and three rebounds in 22 minutes.

GOOD MOVE: With Aldridge lighting Chicago up for 15 first-half points, the Bulls went to Noah to guard him at halftime. Portland's All-Star power forward managed only three points in the second half.

BAD MOVE: With Portland ahead 100-94 in the closing seconds, Damian Lillard wound up with the ball in front court. The rookie point guard went in and dunked the ball with no Chicago defenders around -- an unwritten no-no when the outcome is decided and fewer than 24 seconds remain.

QUOTABLE III: "When I got the ball, I didn't know what to do, honestly. I didn't mean no disrespect to [the Bulls]. Now, I know to just dribble the ball out."

--Damian Lillard on the final basket

QUOTABLE IIII: "Those two guys have stayed in the league for a long time doing what they do. Ronnie played his best game of the season. Jared is a solid player who does all the little things that go unnoticed -- or at least, they're not in the box score."

-- Terry Stotts on Portland reserves Ronnie Price and Jared Jeffries

NOTABLE: Lillard, who scored 16 points for Portland, is averaging 19.0 points and 6.1 assists in his rookie season. He is the first NBA player to average at least 19 points and six assists in his first 10 career games since Detroit's Isiah Thomas in 1981.

UP NEXT: For the Bulls: Tuesday @ Houston, Friday @ Milwaukee, Sunday vs. Chicago. For the Trail Blazers: Wednesday at Phoenix, Friday vs. Minnesota, Sunday @ Brooklyn.

• Bulls: Rose
• Trail Blazers: Freeland, Williams

• Bulls: --
• Trail Blazers: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 8

• Arena: Rose Garden, Portland, OR
• Officials: #71 Rodney Mott, #34 Kevin Cutler, #26 Pat Fraher
• Attendance: 20242
• Duration: 2:13