Bulls still trail Portland after 3 quarters

By K.C. Johnson

PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Bulls made their run but still trail Portland 90-80 after three quarters Monday night at the Rose Garden.

Trailing by as many as 16 in the first half, the Bulls pulled to within 77-73 on a long jumper from Luol Deng, who scored 12 of his 25 points in the period.

But LaMarcus Aldridge, who leads the Trail Blazers with 20 points, countered with a power move and foul on Derrick Rose. Aldridge converted the 3-point play to kick-start a 9-2 run.

Portland is shooting 56 percent and is poised to become the third straight opponent to top 100 points on the Bulls.