The Chicago Bulls came out looking like a team eager to snap out of their four-game skid.
Patrick Williams turned trade rumors into fuel, scoring 7 of the Bulls’ first 9 points in versatile fashion. He drilled a three, got to the free throw line, and finished a two-handed jam after a nice dive cut to the rim. Meanwhile, Zach LaVine was getting just about anything he wanted against one of the worst defenses in the NBA. The should-be-third-time All-Star scored an easy 9 points on 4-6 shooting in his first stint.
The second unit also fed off the starter’s momentum. Ayo Dosunmu was accelerating past Portland’s first line of defense, Dalen Terry was moving with purpose, and Matas Buzelis was deterring shots near the rim. By the time the first quarter came to an end, the Bulls held a 34-22 advantage and were shooting 63.0 percent from the field. Their lead was as high as 15 points in the quarter.
Then … any and all eagerness quickly evaporated. Settling for threes on repeat, they would go on to shoot only 3-18 from downtown in the first half. Portland took advantage of their suddenly one-dimensional offense, using a 13-2 run with a little over 3 minutes to go to tie the game 45-45. After some back-and-forth shotmaking, the Trail Blazers would take their first lead of the night on a Deandre Ayton hook shot over Nikola Vucevic, but a quick burst from LaVine to the rim made sure things were tied at 53 heading into the break.
The Bulls have been one of the league’s top third-quarter teams this season, but you couldn’t tell in this one. Their offense remained inconsistent at best coming out of halftime. The ball movement wasn’t nearly as crisp as we’ve grown used to with this group, which is underscored by their season-low 21 assists.
The Trail Blazers weren’t doing anything particularly impressive, but they looked like the far more energized group. And Deni Avdija was a big reason for that. The forward was all over the floor, scoring 10 points with an assist and a steal in his third-quarter run. They also started to take control of the charity stripe. Portland went 10-11 from the free throw line in the frame. The Trail Blazers would end the quarter on a 12-2 run to officially turn a 15-point deficit into an 87-77 lead.
Tying a bow on this one was easy for Portland. The Chicago Bulls couldn’t find any kind of offensive rhythm, and they only looked increasingly demoralized as the minutes ticked off the clock. Players barked at officials and coaches shook their heads. With a game less than 24 hours away, the Bulls looked ready to board the plane and fly to LA, which led to a double-digit loss to a team with the second-worst net rating in the NBA.
Look, it sucks that this has been the case, but this five-game losing streak is probably the best-case scenario for the organization. The front office needs zero excuses as the deadline approaches. It’s time to make trades happen, go full-speed ahead toward the draft lottery, and let the young guys run wild.
Player Grades
Zach LaVine – A-
Stats: 27 PTS, 5 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL
Zach LaVine remained engaged for most of the game and tried to drag the Bulls out of the mud. At the end of the day, he just couldn’t do it on his own.
Ayo Dosunmu – B-
Stats: 12 PTS, 4 AST, 1 STL
Ayo Dosunmu had his first game in double digits since returning from injury. His performance wasn’t anything special, but it was better than what we saw from either Coby White or Josh Giddey.
Patrick Williams – C-
Stats: 15 PTS, 3 REB, 1 STL
As stated above, Patrick Williams looked motivated to begin the night. He was aggressive on and off the ball and it led to his highest-scoring effort since Dec. 30, 2024. Did he disappear in the middle two quarters? You betcha! But at least it was better than what we’ve seen the past couple of weeks.
Coby White – D+
Stats: 9 PTS, 3 REB
Coby White didn’t register a single assist tonight and had his lowest-scoring effort since November.
Josh Giddey – D+
Stats: 0 PTS, 4 AST, 3 REB
For the first time this season, Josh Giddey went scoreless and grabbed his fewest rebounds since late November.
Box Score

Check out the full box score here.