PORTLAND, Ore. — Jimmy Butler scored 22 points, Derrick Rose added 17 in his return to the lineup and the Chicago Bulls held off the Portland Trail Blazers 93-88 on Tuesday night.
Rose had missed two games with a left ankle injury. His floating jumper stretched Chicago’s lead to 78-65 early in the fourth quarter, but Portland rallied within 78-76 on Ed Davis’ tip shot.
Damian Lillard missed a 3-pointer to tie it for Portland with 2:25 left, then missed the second of a pair of free throws with 20.7 seconds left that would have also pulled the Blazers into a tie.
CJ McCollum’s quick layup got Portland within 89-88 with 13 seconds to go. But after Butler made a pair of free throws, McCollum missed on a 3-point attempt and Taj Gibson hit free throws for the final margin.
Lillard finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but shot 4 of 22 from the field. McCollum added 18 points.
Portland’s seven-game home winning streak in the series was snapped.
The Blazers had won two straight after a seven-game losing streak, including a 107-93 victory on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. Still without Meyers Leonard because of a dislocated left shoulder, the Blazers started Noah Vonleh to go against Nikola Mirotic.
It was Rose’s first trip to Portland since November 2013, when he tore the meniscus in his right knee and subsequently missed the rest of the season. It was his second major knee injury after missing the entire 2012-13 season.
Going into Tuesday night’s game, Rose said his minutes wouldn’t be restricted because of the ankle injury. His return came at an opportune time for the Bulls, who were without Aaron Brooks for the second game because of a sore hamstring.
The Bulls pulled ahead 39-29 midway through the second quarter on Gibson’s 14-foot jumper. Portland pulled within six points before the break, but Butler’s 47-footer extended Chicago’s lead to 48-39 just before they left the court.
Portland opened the second half with a 7-0 run and pulled within 48-46 on Vonleh’s 3-pointer followed by a layup. But the rally was short-lived and Butler’s reverse layup put the Bulls ahead 62-52.
The game got chippy in the final minutes when Butler and Mason Plumlee got into it. In the aftermath, Plumlee was served with a flagrant foul, and Butler got a technical.
Pau Gasol had 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls.
TIP INS
Bulls: Chicago was coming off a 106-94 loss at Golden State on Friday. The game against the Blazers ended a three-game western road swing. … Chicago hadn’t won at the Moda Center since 2007.
Trail Blazers: Portland Timbers midfielder Jack Jewsbury was at the game. The Timbers are currently in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference finals. Portland defeated FC Dallas 3-1 this past Sunday, and the two-legged playoff series goes to Dallas this weekend.
UP NEXT
Bulls: Host Indiana on Friday.
Trail Blazers: Host the Lakers on Saturday.
