Whiteside’s 10 blocks ruin Bulls
Latest defeat extends slump to 7 losses in last 9 games
PORTLAND, Ore. — Carmelo Anthony couldn’t recall another 10-block game like Trail Blazers teammate Hassan Whiteside had Friday night against the Bulls.
Anthony had 23 points and 11 rebounds, and the Blazers won 107-103 for their second victory over the Bulls this week. But Whiteside stole the show with eight points, 15 rebounds and a franchise-record 10 blocked shots — the most in the NBA this season.
“Never seen that before, and I’ve played with some great shot blockers,” Anthony said. “Tyson Chandler … Marcus Camby … I’ve never seen a guy with 10 blocks in a game.”
Damian Lillard scored 28 points, 10 in the fourth quarter, as the Blazers won their third straight after four consecutive losses.
The Blazers led by 12 in the third quarter, but the Bulls pulled within 85-84 in the fourth. CJ McCollum stalled the rally with a 3-pointer.
Anthony’s 3 made it 91-84 with 7:28 left, and he held up three fingers for the cheering Moda Center crowd as the Bulls called a timeout.
Lauri Markkanen’s 3 closed the gap to 93-92, and Lillard answered with a 3. After Zach LaVine’s corner 3 with 31.7 seconds left narrowed it to 105-103, Whiteside tipped in Lillard’s shot to seal the win.
LaVine finished with 28 points for the slumping Bulls, who have lost seven of nine.
“This was a frustrating one, very winnable,” LaVine said. “We were battling. (Lillard) did what he did in the fourth quarter, turned it up to another level.”
The Bulls fell to the injury-riddled Warriors 104-90 on Wednesday at the new Chase Center to open a three-game trip. It wraps up Monday night in Sacramento.
Tomas Satoransky was a game-time decision with a left toe bruise but started. Ryan Arcidiacono, who has been slowed by a right elbow strain, also played.
“This loss hurts,” Bulls coach Jim Boylen said. “This is a painful loss. Every loss these guys take hurts. This was a hard-fought game, give them credit.”
Kris Dunn was asked whether the Bulls’ season is still salvageable.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I mean, if you look at the standings right now, things aren’t going the way some teams would like it to go, and that’s good for us. We’re still learning and trying to figure each other out. I think once we get a win and try to build off that, we can create a streak and hopefully start creeping up the standings.”