Nikola Vucevic drained a 3-pointer as time expired to cap a 27-point effort and give the Chicago Bulls a 122-121 victory over the host Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
Chicago blew a 21-point, fourth-quarter lead and trailed in the final seconds as Coby White drove into the lane. He spotted the wide-open Vucevic on the wing and the 15-year veteran swished the shot to give the Bulls their second consecutive victory.
White added 25 points and seven assists off the bench as Chicago defeated the Trail Blazers for the seventh time in the past eight meetings.
Ayo Dosunmu tallied 14 points off the bench, Isaac Okoro had 13 points and Matas Buzelis added 11 for Chicago. Josh Giddey only had nine points but contributed 13 assists.
Jerami Grant had 33 points and nine rebounds and Deni Avdija recorded 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for the Trail Blazers, who have dropped four straight games and six of seven.
Donovan Clingan had 17 points and a career-best 21 rebounds, and Toumani Camara added 14 points for Portland.
The Trail Blazers used a 32-7 run to overcome a 21-point deficit. They took a 119-116 lead on Clingan’s three-point play with 47.3 seconds remaining before Avdija split two free throws with 16.2 seconds left to end the surge.
White drilled a 3-pointer with 9.1 seconds left to bring the Bulls within 120-119. Grant split one of two free throws with 8.2 seconds remaining before Vucevic sank his fifth trey of the game.
Jrue Holiday (calf) missed his third straight game for the Trail Blazers. Leading scorer Shaedon Sharpe (calf) and Robert Williams III (knee) also sat out for Portland on the second end of a back-to-back.
Chicago shot 47.9% from the field, including 21 of 49 from 3-point range. White also made five 3-pointers.
The Trail Blazers made 41.1% of their shots and were 12 of 42 from behind the arc. Grant had five treys for Portland.
Prior to the late sequences, Portland caught the Bulls at 116 on a 3-pointer by Avdija with 1:22 remaining.
Chicago led 98-82 entering the fourth quarter and Dosunmu’s layup boosted the lead to 109-88 with 9:16 left in the game.
The Trail Blazers began getting back into the game with 11 straight points — including five apiece from Grant and Avdija — to move within 10 with 6:23 to play.
Vucevic had 17 first-half points as Chicago held a 62-58 lead at the break. Grant had 13 in the half for Portland.
