Bulls roll past Trail Blazers, 130-116

Published 12:00 am Sunday, January 30, 2022

Portland played a team contending for a top spot in the NBA Eastern Conference on Sunday. It didn’t go well.

The Trail Blazers led briefly in the first quarter before Chicago took off and won 130-116 on its homecourt.

Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and 14 rebounds and DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points and Zach LaVine 20 for Chicago (31-18).

The Bulls shot .556 from the floor, and had 36 assists on their 50 baskets. Ayo Dosunmu had 11 assists and DeRozan 10.

Chicago took control of the game with a 44-point second quarter.

CJ McCollum had 29 points for Portland (21-29), which is halfway through a four-game road trip. Norman Powell added 22 points and Anfernee Simons 21.

The Blazers shot .518 and made 18 3-pointers, including five each by Powell and Simons; Simons has made at least four 3-pointers in seven consecutive games.

Portland plays at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Monday, and finishes its trip Wednesday at Los Angeles Lakers.