(Field Level Media) Carmelo Anthony scored a season-high 25 points on 10-for-20 shooting, and the visiting Portland Trail Blazers cruised to a 117-94 win over the Chicago Bulls last night.
Anthony connected on 4 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc in his fourth game with the Trail Blazers. CJ McCollum scored 21 points and Damian Lillard notched a double-double with 13 points and 12 assists for Portland, which snapped a four-game losing streak.
Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting. Wendell Carter Jr. fell just shy of a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds, and Tomas Satoransky contributed 11 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Chicago endured its fifth loss in seven games. The Bulls trailed by as many as 28 and were outrebounded 55-37.
Portland led 105-79 when Nassir Little entered the game for Anthony with 7:49 to go in the fourth quarter. Anthony watched from the bench the rest of the way after his best performance since Nov. 2, 2018, when he scored 28 points for the Houston Rockets in a win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers held a commanding 92-72 advantage. The Bulls trailed by as little as five points with 10:55 remaining in the third quarter, but Portland closed the session on a 30-15 run.
McCollum started the scoring binge with a jump shot, and Skal Labissiere finished it with a jump shot from 16 feet. In between, Anthony hit two jump shots and a free throw to help Portland pull away.
Portland led 62-54 at halftime. The Trail Blazers established an eight-point lead thanks to a strong second quarter in which it enjoyed a 35-26 advantage over the Bulls.
Trail Blazers guard Rodney Hood padded the halftime lead when he hit a step-back jumper as time expired. Hood’s buzzer beater followed a basket by McCollum with 6.3 seconds to go before the break.
Chicago held onto a 28-27 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Bulls trailed by six points before closing the quarter on an 11-4 run, which included 3-pointers by Coby White and Thaddeus Young.
