Bulls Extend Skid to 11, Remain Winless in February After 121-112 Loss to Trail Blazers

Another night, another loss for the Chicago Bulls, who desperately wanted to snap the losing skid.

On Thursday, the Bulls dropped to the Portland Trail Blazers, 121-112, as the Bulls' late-game push fell short, suffering their 11th consecutive defeat at the United Center. Amid the skid, Chicago became winless in February, marking its worst month in franchise history.

Matas Buzelis scored a team-high 20 points, along with seven rebounds and four assists. Josh Giddey and Tre Jones posted 15 and 14 points apiece.

On the Trail Blazers' side, Jerami Grant led with 27 points, while the other four starters recorded double-digits.

Matas Buzelis scored the game's first field goal with a driving finish. Colin Sexton and Isaac Okoro added points, but the Bulls missed three free throws in the first four minutes while Portland tied it at 8-8 after Jrue Holiday's contested three-pointer.

The Trail Blazers took their first lead after Kris Murray's second-chance bucket. Josh Giddey fought for an offensive rebound off his own miss and fed Okoro for a corner triple. The Blazers added four more points following Tre Jones' passing turnover.

Chicago remained competitive despite trailing by narrow margins. Buzelis took off in transition and delivered to Rob Dillingham, checking in as the sixth man, for an easy layup. Jones exploded for five points to put the Bulls up by one. Buzelis followed with a transition dunk after stealing the ball from Robert Williams III.

Giddey broke a brief drought with a driving bucket. Buzelis created space through penetration and knocked down a pull-up jumper in the paint. Vit Krejci dropped two triples for Portland's four-point lead, forcing a Bulls timeout.

Chicago responded with an 8-0 run. Giddey and Sexton combined for five points to reclaim a two-point advantage. Giddey spun through his defender and found Jones cutting for a layup. Sexton followed with a corner three, building the lead to 51-46.

But the Blazers immediately stormed back and retook control. Dillingham found Jones for another baseline cut, but Jerami Grant and Toumani Camara answered with back-to-back threes, widening the gap to six. Jones exploded for four more points to trim the deficit. Chicago trailed 69-63 at halftime.

Opening the third quarter, the Bulls cruised to another 8-0 run to retake the lead, but sloppy play allowed Portland to surge ahead again. After minutes of silence, Dillingham and Giddey struck for five straight points, making it a two-point game. Then turnovers continued plaguing Chicago, with Guerschon Yabusele committing two critical giveaways that led to a double-digit deficit. In the final three minutes, Nick Richards and Sexton piled up six points, cutting it to 93-86 entering the fourth.

The Bulls failed to sustain momentum. Krejci and Williams III led Portland to another double-digit cushion. Blake Wesley added four points for a 15-point gap with nine minutes remaining.

Yabusele and Leonard Miller combined for five points, trimming the deficit to eight. Giddey drilled a massive corner three at the 4:37 mark. After Grant missed one of two free throws, Yabusele and Buzelis battled for possession. Chicago closed to within five points, but Murray's ensuing dunk and Holiday's step-back jumper on the post crushed their hopes in the final minute.