Chicago held a 21-point lead at one point in their matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers, but blew the lead due to Portland's dominant offensive rebounding. Some elite shot-making down the stretch, including a huge, game-winning 3-pointer from Vucevic.
Wednesday night's Chicago Bulls game against the Portland Trail Blazers looked like it was going to be another story about the Bulls losing focus on the simple things down the stretch, on the way to another heartbreaking loss. But Nikola Vucevic had other ideas.
Nikola Vucevic led the way with 27-points in another "never give up" effort from the Chicago Bulls.
The Trail Blazers fell behind in this game as the Bulls hot shooting from deep--Chicago would finish the night 43% from 3-point range--and fastbreak offense (21 fastbreak points) led them to a big lead. Portland would come back whittle down a 21-point lead behind a ferocious effort that saw the Trail Blazers finish with a whopping 26-7 advantage in offensive rebounds.
Portland center Donovan Clingan, specifically, gave massive issues to Vucevic on the glass. Clingan would end up out-rebounding Vucevic 21-8, and led a Trail Blazers team that finished with an impressive 64-38 advantage in rebounds.
Despite Portland dominating the fourth quarter 39-24, Vucevic's heroics again saved the Bulls in a game that should not have been a nail biter to begin with.
Yes, the Bulls have a lot of lessons to learn from Wednesday's tight game, but a win is win. For a team that is trying to change the team culture for the better, there are no apologies for pulling out a clutch win, even with some mistakes along the way. The Bulls continue to show that regardless of if they finish as a playoff or Play-In team, something is different with this year's team.