The Portland Trail Blazers lost another one.
A game.
And a player.
The Chicago Bulls defeated the injury-ravaged Blazers 122-121 Wednesday night, using a Nikola Vucevic buzzer-beating three-pointer to stave off a furious fourth-quarter rally and stun 17,795 at the Moda Center.
Much like they did Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns, the shorthanded Blazers battled for the better part of the first half, leaning on a mix of two-way players and end-of-bench depth pieces to keep the game within reach. But unlike Tuesday night, when they faded in the second half on the way to a double-digit defeat, the Blazers held on until the final shot.
When Ayo Dosunmu completed an alley-oop layup with 9:16 left in the fourth quarter, the Bulls snatched their biggest lead of the game at 109-88, and it looked like the Blazers would go down without a fight.
Instead, they fought all the way back.
Portland erupted for a 21-3 run, riding the electric play of Deni Avdija, the clutch shot-making of Jerami Grant and a swarming defense to make it a one-possession game. The teams went back and forth from there, but when Avdija swished a three-pointer with 1:22 left, the game was tied 116-116.
Vucevic followed by missing a 6-foot jumper on the other end and the Blazers made the miss count — Avdija slithered into the paint and tossed a nifty pass to Donovan Clingan, who completed the play with a reverse layup. He was fouled and made the free throw, giving the Blazers a 119-116 lead with 47.3 seconds left.
But it didn’t last. The Blazers missed two free throws down the stretch to leave the door open and the Bulls walked through it. Coby White nailed a three with 9.1 seconds left and Vucevic delivered the dagger, swishing a three at the buzzer, touching off a wild celebration.
Top performers
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Avdija finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists and Jerami Grant recorded 33 points and nine rebounds for the Blazers (6-9).
Vucevic scored 27 points and White added 25 for the Bulls (8-6).
Sharpe sits, has MRI
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Just when you thought the injury news couldn’t get any worse for the beleaguered Blazers, they lost another starter.
Shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe did not play Wednesday because of a sore right calf, leaving the Blazers without yet another key piece of the rotation. Sharpe was hampered by a sore left calf earlier this season, but he played through the ailment and had not appeared on an injury report since the Blazers visited Miami on Nov. 8.
He seemed to be favoring his leg during random stretches in Portland’s loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. An afternoon later, Sharpe was listed as doubtful, then ruled out shortly after arriving to the arena. He underwent magnetic resonance imaging testing and the team is awaiting the results.
Sharpe was one of eight Blazers who landed on Wednesday’s injury report — and one of seven who did not play — joining Scoot Henderson (left hamstring tear), Damian Lillard (left Achilles tendon), Matisse Thybulle (left thumb surgery), Blake Wesley (right foot fracture), Robert Williams III (left knee injury management) and Jrue Holiday (right calf strain). Jerami Grant, who missed Tuesday’s game with an illness, returned against the Bulls.
Sharpe, who started the first 14 games of the season, ranks second on the Blazers in scoring, averaging 25.5 points, while adding 5.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
Next up
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The Blazers open a three-game trip Friday night at 7 against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.
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