CHICAGO -- It didn't end up being the trip that the Trail Blazers wanted, but it certainly was the finish they were hoping for.
After losing four-straight, the Trail Blazers finished off a six-game trip by defeating the Chicago Bulls 117-94 in front of a crowd of 18,776 Monday night at the United Center.
“I think it was just a fun game," said Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard. "We did a lot of things well. They are a good offensive rebounding team, and we limited that. We got deflections, we communicated. We just had great energy on both ends of the floor. The ball was moving around, we executed our adjustments based on how much attention there was put on the ball."
The Trail Blazers are now 6-13 overall and 5-8 on the road this season. With the win, the Blazers extend their win streak versus the Bulls to six games and finish the road trip with a 2-6 record.
After besting the Spurs in San Antonio nearly two weeks ago to start the trip, the Trail Blazers proceeded to lose their next four games to the Rockets, Pelicans, Bucks and Cavaliers, with an inability to win the battle of the boards and porous second-half defense being the primary concerns.
But for at least one night in Chicago, the Trail Blazers were able to put those issues behind them. Helped by the return of Hassan Whiteside, Portland dominated on the glass, out-rebounding the Bulls 42-29 overall and 13-8 on the offensive boards, resulting in a 16-8 second-chance points advantage for the road team.
And in terms of second-half defense, Portland held Chicago to 40 points in the second half on 36 percent shooting from the field and just 11 percent shooting from three.
Aside from rebounding and defense, the Blazers were helped considerably by the play of Carmelo Anthony, who started and played in just his fourth game since signing as a free agent a little over a week ago. The 17-year veteran came out on fire, scoring 12 of his 25 points in the first quarter, finishing a highlight reel dunk and making four of his seven three-point attempts.
"I was glad to see (Anthony) get it going," said Stotts. "This was his fourth game and he had a lot of the same looks that he had against Cleveland, we know he is capable of making those. He needed a night like this. The first three games he had a lot of the same looks and he had his rhythm. More than anything else, I think it’s a boost for him obviously, but moving forward, I think that gives everybody confidence."
The Blazers were led by Anthony, who went 10-of-20 from the field and 4-of-7 from three for 25 points to go with eight rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes. With the performance, he surpassed Alex English for 18th in scoring in NBA history.
"To see (Anthony) like that it was fun to watch," said Lillard. :"Just happy to come in and win. Our whole bench was just excited to get it going with him being here, and it’s been fun. We all welcome seeing his bounce back happen and it’s going to be fun to watch.”
CJ McCollum finished with 21 points and four assists in 32 minutes. Rodney Hood went 6-of-11 from the field for 16 points to go with six rebounds.
Lillard finished with a double-double of 13 points and 12 assists, while Hassan Whiteside, who sat out the last two games with a hip injury, also got a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds while also blocking two shots.
Skal Labissiere came off the bench to finish with 12 points in 20 minutes.
Five Bulls finished in double figures led by Zach Lavine, who went 6-of-13 from the field for 18 points to go with five assists in 30 minutes.
Next up, the Trail Blazers return home to host the Thunder Wednesday night at the Moda Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.