PORTLAND, Ore. — Damian Lillard had 21 points and nine assists before sitting out the fourth quarter as the Portland Trail Blazers built a big lead and beat the Chicago Bulls 105-87 on Friday night.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Blazers, who led by as many as 28 points for their sixth straight victory.
Rookie Nikola Mirotic had season highs with 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls.
Chicago lost forward Taj Gibson in the third quarter when he sprained his left ankle. Gibson, who came down on Portland’s Wesley Matthews, clutched his ankle and grimaced in pain before he was helped off the court. The 6-foot-9 forward was averaging 12.9 points and 5.9 rebounds coming into the game.
The Bulls were already limited without Derrick Rose, who missed his fourth straight game with a sore left hamstring. Pau Gasol missed his third game with a left calf strain.
They were also missing starting guard Kirk Hinrich, who left Thursday night’s 103-88 loss to the Sacramento Kings with a chest contusion. X-Rays were negative, but coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game that Hinrich was day-to-day.
The Blazers got back Nicolas Batum, who missed four games with a right knee contusion.
Portland jumped out to an early 25-9 lead after Aldridge’s 3-pointer. Lillard had seven assists in the first quarter alone and finished three short of matching his career high.
The Bulls closed the gap in the second quarter with an 8-0 run that pulled them to 39-35. The rally was short-lived and the Blazers went up 51-39 after a 10-0 run, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Lillard.
Portland led 61-42 at the half.
The game was marred by a scuffle early in the third quarter, when Mike Dunleavy knocked Lillard to the ground as he was attempting a 3-pointer. Matthews ran over and pushed Dunleavy, and Brooks appeared to shove Matthews.
Dunleavy was served with a flagrant foul, while Matthews and Brooks got offsetting technicals. Lillard made all three shots.
Aldridge passed to Robin Lopez for a dunk to put Portland up 70-45 before Portland sat its starters for the final period.
TIP INS
Bulls: Brooks, who went to the University of Oregon, got warm applause when he was announced as a starter. … Thibodeau, who was an assistant coach on the U.S. national team that won the FIBA World Cup, said he has been impressed with Lillard. "He’s terrific. There’s nothing he can’t do," Thibodeau said. Lillard did not make the final cut for the team, with Thibodeau called a tough choice.
Trail Blazers: Lillard’s 33 3-pointers through the first 10 games were the most made over the opening 10-game stretch in Blazers’ history. … Lillard has had at least seven assists in seven straight games. … Aldridge had a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter, the third time in his career he’s had a game with multiple 3s.
UP NEXT
Bulls: At Utah on Monday.
Trail Blazers: At Boston on Sunday.