The Bulls lose to the Portland Trail Blazers and have now lost 5 times in a row

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Scoot Henderson had 25 points and the Portland Trail Blazers ended a five-game losing streak with a 113-102 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night.

Zach LaVine had 27 points for the Bulls. They have lost five times in a row.

Portland extended its lead to 97-82 on Shaedon Sharpe’s 3-pointer with 7:36 left. Patrick Williams’ dunk brought the Bulls within single digits at 110-102 with 1:26 left. Deni Avdija responded with a layup for Portland to end the threat.

Sharpe came off the bench for the Blazers after coach Chauncey Billups told him his defense needed to improve in order to get back into the starting lineup. Sharpe finished with 23 points.

The Bulls led by 15 points in the first half. Henderson made two consecutive 3-pointers that put the Blazers up 43-42.

Portland tied it at 45 on Jerami Grant’s 3, and was at 53 before halftime.

Portland, playing for the second straight game, took a 65-57 lead early in the second half on Avdija’s 3-pointer. Ayo Dosunmu hit a three-pointer for the Bulls that tied the game at 75, but Chicago failed to take the lead.

Avdija finished the game with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Takeaways

Bulls: Lonzo Ball (right thigh contusion/injury treatment), Jevon Carter (illness) and Chris Duarte (personal reasons) were unavailable for the Bulls.

Trail Blazers: Anfernee Simons did not play for the Blazers because of a right elbow strain. But both Avdija (right ankle) and Deandre Ayton (lower back) were available.

Key moment

Henderson grabbed a defensive rebound and sprinted downfield under pressure before passing it to Sharpe for a layup, giving the Blazers an 87-77 lead entering the final quarter.

Key statistics

Portland ended its home game with a disappointing 1:4.

Next

The Bulls are at the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night. The Trail Blazers are in Miami on Tuesday night.