Portland may not be shining this season and may have fallen out of NBA playoff talk a long time ago, but Chicago had to work hard last night to get an important win.
The team from Oregon "held on" in the "United Center" until 9,3 seconds, when the Montenegrin basketball player Nikola Vučević scored on a pass from Demar Dorozan for the crucial 108:105 - the Bulls ended up winning with 110:107, so they are still safe in the play area.
Our center was the basket that broke the game after he "turned" Jabari Walker, and he was excellent throughout the match, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds and two steals. It is interesting that he did not register a single assist in the almost 35 minutes he spent on the field.
Of course, alongside Vucevic, Derozan was once again phenomenal with 28 points, six assists and five rebounds.
"His game is more than just shooting - finding Vucevic showed what a winner he is at heart," Alex Caruso praised DeRozan after the match.
Cleveland and Denver recently ended Boston's 11-game winning streak, but the league's best team immediately went on a new streak.
The Celtics registered their sixth consecutive triumph and strengthened themselves at the top of the Eastern Conference, as they beat Detroit at home with 119:94.
For the Celtics, Jalen Brown was the best with 31 points, while Derrick White recorded the first triple-double in his career with 22 points, ten rebounds and 10 assists. For Detroit, Jaden Ivey scored 21 points.
Boston is safe at the top of the East, and Minnesota continues to fight for first place in the West - the Timberwolves registered a new triumph against Utah (114:104).
Anthony Edwards was the best in the winning team with 32 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, while Naz Reed added 17 points. In Utah, Colin Sexton with 24 and Lauri Markanen with 22 points were better than the others.
The Los Angeles Lakers seem certain for the playoffs, and by the end of the league they will try to jump into the top six in the West, as Sacramento, who has two more wins, currently holds that spot.
Last night, the giant from California beat Atlanta convincingly 136:105, and D'Angelo Russell shone with 27 points, LeBron James with 25 and Anthony Davis with 22 points - Russell and James added 10 assists each, while Davis had 15 jumps.
At Atlanta, Jaylen Johnson was the most effective with 25 points.
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