advertisement

Rose's 36 not enough as Blazers top Bulls

Derrick Rose is playing well enough this season to elicit “MVP” chants at road games. So it's only natural that opposing coaches are game-planning to gang up on the Bulls' point guard.

After Golden State's constant double-teams pestered Rose into a career-high 9 turnovers Saturday, he set out to be more aggressive at Portland late Monday night.

Rose scored 36 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome a 42-point night by Portland center LaMarcus Aldridge. The Bulls lost their second straight game, falling 109-103 at the Rose Garden.

The Bulls got another taste of being a team that is targeted because of the strong record. The Blazers jumped around the court as if they'd won a playoff series when the game ended.

After trailing by 9 points in the third quarter, the Bulls mounted a comeback but made too many mistakes down the stretch and could have used Joakim Noah to guard Aldridge.

The Bulls (34-16) had a chance to take the lead with about seven minutes left, but Kyle Korver threw away a pass. After an exchange of baskets, Rose fouled Portland's Rudy Fernandez behind the 3-point line.

He hit all 3 free throws, then Andre Miller added 2 more to put the home team ahead 91-83 with 5:14 remaining. The Blazers outscored the Bulls from the foul line 32-9.

The Bulls closed within 4 on a Rose lane drive and power slam, but that's when Portland reverted to a one-man offense and rode Aldridge to victory.

With Noah hurt, coach Tom Thibodeau tried Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson on Aldridge, but the one-time Bulls draft pick scored on a long jumper, alley-oop slam, turnaround and hit 3 free throws.

A Rose 3-pointer made it 100-96 with 1:05 left. Needing a stop, Aldridge hit the turnaround over Gibson, then drew a charge on the other end to close it out.

Boozer finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Luol Deng scored all 15 of his points in the second half. Miller added 27 points and 11 assists for Portland, going 13-for-13 from the foul line.

In the first half, Rose and Boozer combined for 28 points, while the other three starters scored just a single basket. The game was tied at 50-50 at halftime, with the Blazers shooting 58.8 percent from the field (20-for-34).

To open the third quarter, Rose scored on a lay-in but otherwise the Bulls missed 6 long jumpers and Portland built a lead that reached 9 points on three occasions. Bulls rookie Omer Asik was able to slow Aldridge down a little and also scored 5 points as the visitors closed within 75-72 heading into the fourth quarter.

Late in the first half, he unleashed an amazing spin move against veteran guard Andre Miller, who fell down trying to guard a Rose crossover two years ago in Philadelphia.

Instead of hitting the deck this time, Miller stomped his feet and demanded a traveling call while Rose was fouled hard by Aldridge.

The Bulls' next stop will be a familiar one for several players. They play Wednesday against the Utah Jazz, where Boozer, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer all spent multiple seasons.

Mike McGraw's game tracker

Trail Blazers 109, Bulls 103

<B>Rose loses shootout:</B> After producing a career-high 9 turnovers against Golden State, Derrick Rose was ready Monday and scored 36 points at Portland, hitting 14 of 27 shots from the field. Blazers center LaMarcus Aldridge was better, though, scoring 42 points as the Bulls lost their second straight.

<B>Free and imbalanced: </B>Besides Aldridge, Portland's best weapon was the whistle. The home team hit 37 of 40 free throws, compared to 11 of 18 for the Bulls.

<B>Help needed: </B>The trade deadline is less than three weeks away. On this night, though, the Bulls could have used injured center Joakim Noah, their best defensive option against Aldridge.