Portland Trail Blazers (29-31) beat Chicago Bulls (24-36) 121-112 on the road on Thursday, February 26.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Bulls had the better start, winning the first 34-32 to lead by 2 after one. The Trail Blazers moved in front with a 37-29 second quarter, carrying a 6-point lead into halftime.
The Trail Blazers won the third 24-23 to create some separation, taking a 7-point lead into the fourth. The Trail Blazers took the fourth 28-26; the Trail Blazers finished the job for a 121-112 regulation win.
What decided it
The Trail Blazers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 11.4% of possessions compared with 18.7% for the Bulls. The Trail Blazers grabbed 30% of their own misses, while the Bulls recovered 16.7%. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Bulls did win one battle, shooting: eFG% of 55.6% against 49.5%. The Trail Blazers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 106 possessions per team, the Trail Blazers produced 113.7 points per 100 possessions to 105.2 for the Bulls.
The Trail Blazers' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 46-32.
Who made the difference
Jerami Grant was the game's biggest individual force for POR: 27 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast on 6-10 shooting. His Game Score of 23.7 led everyone. His team was +14 with him on the floor.
Josh Giddey led the Bulls with 15 pts, 6 reb, 9 ast on 6-9 shooting, good for a 15.4 Game Score.
Nick Richards (14 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast) and Robert Williams III (14 pts, 14 reb, 1 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 51% for the Trail Blazers.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Chicago Bulls lead 2-1.
The Trail Blazers are now 29-31, and the Bulls are 24-36. The Trail Blazers last five before this game: L-W-L-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.