McCollum scores 32, seals Blazers' OT win vs. Bulls

CJ McCollum scored 32 points and handed out eight assists as the Portland Trail Blazers notched a 124-120 overtime win against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night at the United Center.



McCollum drained a layup and a pair of free throws in the final minute of overtime to break a tie at 120. Al-Farouq Aminu added 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting for the Trail Blazers, and Jusuf Nurkic contributed a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds.



Portland (19-17) won its third consecutive game in Chicago and improved to 11-7 on the road this season.



Kris Dunn led the Bulls with 22 points on 9-of-20 shooting. Lauri Markkanen added 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, and Nikola Mirotic posted his third double-double in 14 games with 18 points and 10 rebounds.



Chicago (13-24) lost at home for the first time in eight games.



McCollum put Portland on top for good when he attacked the paint and calmly made a 3-foot layup with 56.5 seconds left in overtime. Dunn missed a jump shot on the next possession and Nurkic grabbed the rebound. After another missed jump shot by Dunn with eight seconds left, McCollum sealed the outcome at the free-throw line.



The score was even at 112 at the end of regulation. McCollum hit a driving layup with 57.3 seconds remaining to tie the game and had a chance to win it with a pull-up jump shot from the right elbow, but the ball caromed off the rim to bring on overtime.



The Bulls opened the fourth quarter with an 87-83 lead. A deep 3-pointer by Shabazz Napier in the closing seconds of the third quarter trimmed Portland's deficit from seven points to four.



The Trail Blazers jumped to a 31-23 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Bulls responded by outscoring Portland 30-21 in the second quarter to grab a 53-52 halftime edge.



Portland played without star point guard Damian Lillard, who missed his fifth game in a row because of a right hamstring strain. The two-time All-Star leads the team with 25.2 points per game. His status is uncertain for Tuesday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.



--Field Level Media