DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points (14 in the paint), and the Chicago Bulls beat the Portland Trail Blazers 110-107.
Alex Caruso’s free throw put the Bulls ahead for good with 49 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
The Trail Blazers had the ball down 3 with 6.6 seconds left, but Caruso blocked Anfernee Simons’ pull-up 3-pointer. It would have tied the game.
During clutch time, the Bulls outscored the Trail Blazers 10-9. DeRozan (No. 2 in clutch points, 2023-24) scored 5 of the Bulls’ 10 on 1 for 3 shooting and 3 for 3 at the line. In the fourth quarter, Dalano Banton had 3 steals, 1 of them during a 9-0 Trail Blazers run, and the Trail Blazers scored 6 points off them. With 51 seconds left, Caruso stole the ball from Banton, and his free throws off it put the Bulls ahead 106-105.
Ayo Dosunmu had 23 points (12 in the paint) and a season-high 10 assists, and Nikola Vučević added 22 points and 9 rebounds. The Bulls had 3 20-point scorers.
For the Trail Blazers, Simons had 30 points and 9 assists, and Deandre Ayton added 25 points and 15 rebounds. Duop Reath scored 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.
The Trail Blazers forced 9 turnovers, about 5 fewer than usual for this many possessions. They did not make a field goal in the last 3:31.