POSTGAME BULLETPOINTS PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS(47-27) @ CHICAGO BULLS (21-55) Wednesday, March 27, 2019 United Center Final Score: Trail Blazers 118, Bulls 98 TEAM NOTES: Chicago scored 58 points down low tonight, its 14th-straight game with 50 or more points in the paint, extending their longest streak in the last five years. The Bulls’ 20 second-chance points are the team’s second-highest total of the year. Portland swept the season series for the second year in a row. PLAYER NOTES: WAYNE SELDEN JR. (11 points and 12 rebounds) picked up his first career double-double and SHAQUILLE HARRISON (career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds) picked up his second-career double-double in tonight’s contest. Selden Jr.’s 12 and Harrison’s 10 are both career-highs in rebounds. Additionally, Harrison’s four boards on the offensive glass are a career-high. HARRISON has a theft in eight-straight games. The eight-game streak is the second-longest of his career. With a season-high-tying 15 points, CRISTIANO FELÍCIO picked up his fourth double-figure scoring effort in the last five games. All five of FELÍCIO’S double-figure scoring games this season have come in the month of March. FELÍCIO finished with five rebounds and has six-consecutive games with five or more rebounds for the fourth time in his career. ANTONIO BLAKENEY has scored 10 or more points in three-straight games for the third time this season and fourth time in his career. Additionally, BLAKENEY tied a career high with four assists. With three points and zero turnovers, RYAN ARCIDIACONO has 32 assists to 11 turnovers this month. Arcidiacono entered the contest No. 4 in the NBA in assist to turnover ratio. RAWLE ALKINS (16:09), ANTONIO BLAKENEY (32:24) and BRANDON SAMPSON (29:36) all set career-highs in minutes played. By putting up 20 points, SETH CURRY picked up his 20th career 20-point game.
Jim Boylen – Bulls Head Coach On the game: “Shaq Harrison played well. Cristiano Felício played well. I thought we competed. We lost the first quarter by 14. I thought that was kind of the difference in the game. We battled in the second and battled in the third. We won the fourth. We lost the board game by one. We had 22 assists, I thought we could have had more. They had 35 attempts in the paint. We had 58. Obviously, we didn’t finish plays at the rim and didn’t make enough of those plays, but I like the way we drove the ball and competed at the rim. I thought Brandon [Sampson] and Rawle [Atkins] did a nice job of competing and trying, and our other guys were Bulls tonight. They played hard and competed and tried to play the right way.” On Lauri Markkanen: “Lauri Markkanen will be out the rest of the season. We got his tests back— this information is coming to us just in the last hour— and his tests from his fatigue episode during the first half in Toronto came back all positive, but we’re gonna be as cautious with him and that incident the best we can these last 10 days. Obviously, we’re disappointed for him and for us, but we’re hopeful that he’ll be just fine.”
Shaquille Harrison On his career high in points tonight: “It’s definitely uplifting, because [you] put in the work. And you can see [it] manifests out there on the court. It’s very uplifting. But, unfortunately, didn’t get the win today with the career high. But I’ll take it.” On playing with a very undermanned team: “[It’s] very tough, because you got some of our core guys that’s out right now. But, it’s the NBA. And the next guy is the reason why these guys are on a roster, the reason why I’m on a roster. Because when your time is called, it’s time to step up. And you can’t really complain about much and keep it forward, and try to get some wins.” On still being evaluated by the league as players: “It’s not just one team looking at you. It’s 29 other teams looking at you. [You] can’t put all your marbles in one basket. Because, at the end of the day, you’re not gonna be here for the rest of your life. So you gotta leave a good impression on other teams as well.”
Terry Stotts – Trail Blazers Head Coach On tonight’s win: “It’s good to get the win. Obviously, Chicago was undermanned and it’s a game we should have won, and we did. It’s good we were able to keep the minutes low. Defensively, we were pretty solid most of the night. That’s about all I’ve got right now.” On getting the entire team playing time: “Look, as I said before the game, the next two week we’re going to look at different combinations. Zach [Collins] played a little five out there by himself–that was good to see. I was hoping to get Skal [Labissiere] in a little bit earlier, but that front line was a little big. The starting lineup did a nice job of finding scorers–Dame [Damian Lillard] really didn’t look to be aggressive scoring, but I thought he tried to get everybody else involved, which he did. Seth [Curry] continues his roll, and I mean roll as in r-o-l-l. He’s shooting the ball well, finding his shots. Again, we’ll keep looking at different combinations. I did want to see Zach [Collins] a little bit by himself at the five, and I thought he did alright.” On the importance of keeping an early lead: “In this league if you let a team hang around–that’s why I was glad we got off to a good start in the first, second quarter, had a good lead at halftime, extended it because if you make it a fourth quarter game, anything can happen. I was glad we took that approach. I would like to say I think Jim Boylen is doing a great job. It’s a difficult situation with all these players being out. He’s motivating his team, guys are playing hard for him, and that’s not an easy situation.” On Seth Curry’s recent play: “The way he’s been playing, when C.J. [McCollum] comes back, the rotation will probably be a little different than it was before C.J. went out. Seth [Curry] is playing with a lot of confidence, and the fact that he’s able to get some shots cleanly is encouraging.” On Enes Kanter’s play tonight: “I thought he did a very good job. I didn’t think he forced it too much. He took the opportunities that were there. Defensively, he had a good effort. He held his own against Robin Lopez on the interior, but I thought he probably played the same way with the starters as he’s been playing off the bench.”
Enes Kanter On getting off to an early lead against a shorthanded Bulls team: “I think we didn’t worry about what they were going to do. We just worried about us and went out there and got our shots offensively because we know we are going to score the ball a lot. It’s the most important [part of the] game for us to get to the next level, especially [to] our impact players defensively. I think a lot of players did a good job on the defensive end.” On developing chemistry with the starting lineup: “When you play a guy like ‘Dame’ [Damian Lillard] around those other guys, they just make him better and they make everybody else better around him, and that is what makes him special. So I just truly didn’t have a hard time.” On what has been going right for the Blazers during their current winning streak: “Just defense man. Like I said, we know we can score the ball. I think the most important thing for us is defense, and defense is all about communication and trust, and I think we’re just doing both.”
