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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Arvydas Sabonis and the rest of the
Portland reserves saved what could have been a humiliating setback
for the Trail Blazers.
Sabonis scored 16 of his season-high 23 points in the fourth
quarter as the Blazers extended the Chicago Bulls' losing streak to
12 with a 92-81 victory Tuesday night.
"We've got to do a much better job as a team, or we will get
knocked out of the first round of the playoffs," Portland coach
Mike Dunleavy said. "If you are a good team and expect to win a
championship, you need to lock down every single night."
Ron Mercer scored 22 despite the flu, and Elton Brand added 18
points and 12 rebounds for the Bulls, who let an eight-point lead
slip away in the third quarter.
Chicago, which started a five-game trip by falling to 2-21 on
the road, is within one defeat of tying the franchise record for
consecutive losses, set in 1976.
"It's very frustrating being up eight points and letting them
get offensive rebounds," Brand said. "That really hurt us."
Steve Smith added 18 points and helped lead the surge by the
Portland reserves in the final period. After an alley-oop dunk by
Rasheed Wallace to start the fourth quarter and a jumper by Bonzi
Wells, the bench players scored the next 23 points.
Sabonis had missed three straight games with back spasms, and he
picked up two fouls in his first four minutes. But with the Blazers
struggling on offense, his teammates found him again and again
underneath.
"We need to concentrate more and have more discipline," said
Sabonis. "We need to concentrate with teams like this right
away."
Portland came back from eight points down in the third quarter
to take a 59-57 lead entering the fourth. A jumper by Brand cut it
to 67-66 with 8:03 left, but Sabonis made a reverse layup and got
fouled.
"We didn't know if he would hurt us, but he really did," Brand
said. "We didn't think he would play that much. He did, and really
stuck it to us."
A reverse layup by Brad Miller pulled Chicago within 78-74 with
5:07 left, but Sabonis responded with a jumper after a steal by
Smith. Smith then drove for a layup and Sabonis scored from inside
to make it a 10-point lead with 3:45 left.
"Winning ugly ain't bad," said Portland's Greg Anthony, who
played the entire fourth quarter at point guard instead of Damon
Stoudamire. "It's the winning that's important."
Wallace, named a reserve to the West All-Star team earlier in
the day, was held to 14 points, and Dunleavy pulled him with 9:41
to play after he lost a ball out of bounds.
The Blazers got Sabonis back just in time. Earlier Tuesday the
team announced that Scottie Pippen had undergone surgery to remove
a bone chip from his sore right elbow and would be out
indefinitely.
Exactly five years earlier, on Jan. 30, 1996, Pippen had 28
points to lead the Bulls past Houston to seal a perfect 14-0 record
in January. This season's Chicago team went 1-13 for the month.
Wallace opened the third quarter with a dunk, but the Blazers
went the next 6:15 without a basket, recalling their brutal
58-point effort at Cleveland last week.
A reverse layup by Brand, followed by his fallaway jump shot and
Mercer's fastbreak jumper, put the Bulls ahead 57-49, bringing boos
from the Rose Garden crowd. Portland then closed the period with a
10-0 run, capped by Smith's layup off a rebound by Wells.
Portland's sloppy play made the game competitive from the start.
The Blazers committed seven turnovers in the first 6½ minutes of
the second period, but Chicago could only outscore them 6-3. A
3-pointer by Fred Hoiberg made it 35-34, but the Blazers went on a
10-2 run, all on long jumpers and free throws.
Game notes
The Blazers' 12-4 record in January matches the highest
one-month victory total in franchise history. ... Chicago's Marcus
Fizer didn't play because of the flu. ... Miller tied his season
high with 12 rebounds. ... Portland is 23-5 against the Eastern
Conference and 14-2 vs. the Central Division. The Blazers' only
remaining East teams are Boston and New York, both at home.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Chicago Clubhouse
Portland Clubhouse
RECAPS
LA Lakers 102
Cleveland 96
Orlando 93
Indiana 86
Toronto 96
Philadelphia 89
Miami 103
Houston 85
Portland 92
Chicago 81
Utah 102
Seattle 88
Sacramento 105
Golden State 79
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Mike Dunleavy Official Site
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