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The Chicago Bulls’ win against the Portland Trail Blazers did not come easy.
They held a 16-point second-half lead. But they still had to scrap to their 39th clutch contest of the season. It came at a cost too. An elbow from Blazers big man Duop Reath left Andre Drummond in pain in the fourth quarter, so much so that he went to the ground.
Head Coach Billy Donovan updated Drummond’s status after the game. He said the big man could have one of his teeth pulled.
“I don’t want to guess, but I think he may have to get it taken out or may have to get it fixed,” Donovan told reporters following the 110-107 victory on March 18. “He’s got to do something to it, I know that.
“I didn’t ask him how it happened, I don’t know what happened. But it is his tooth, and he’s got to get it fixed. And whatever that means, I’m not sure really.”
The Bulls trailed 103-102 with 2:46 to go when Drummond got hit while snagging a rebound.
He remained in the game for several more possessions before leaving. Drummond finished with nine points and 11 rebounds. He struggled with his efficiency doing battle with Reath and starter Deandre Ayton in the paint, finishing 2-for-10 from the floor.
Portland outscored Chicago 56-48 in the paint, though the latter had an 18-11 edge in second-chance points.
Drummond did not speak to the media postgame. He was jovial in the locker room, though, per The Bigs’ Drew Stevens. The Bulls surely hope that is a good sign with Drummond entering the night riding back-to-back double-digit scoring efforts.
He is also valuable alongside starter Nikola Vucevic. Three-point-challenged Bulls counterbalance that with extra possessions.
They would have had a plus-two rebounding edge had the Blazer not outboarded then 13-8 in the fourth quarter.
DeMar DeRozan Delivers in 4Q of Bulls Win Over Blazers
DeMar DeRozan led the team with 28 points and nine points in the fourth quarter. DeRozan is one point behind Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry for the NBA lead in total clutch points, per NBA.com.
The 34-year-old DeRozan also leads the NBA in total minutes.
Outside of basketball, DeRozan credited his boxing and swimming regimen during the offseason with keeping in the right frame of mind on the court.
DeRozan’s offseason training has been well-documented. Younger Bulls teammates have joined him in each of the last two offseasons, most notably Patrick Williams and Dalen Terry, though he has impacted and/or trained with Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White as well.
It’s one of the key reasons the Bulls want to bring the six-time All-Star back next season.
Bulls Gain More Breathing Room in Play-In Tournament Race
The Bulls entered the night 2.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Hawks for ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings. That comes with a home game in the opening round of the Play-In Tournament.
They came out of the game with a 3.5-game lead thanks to the Hawks’ 136-105 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on the night.
Chicago is now 3.5 games behind the Miami Heat for eight with 13 games to go.
Atlanta and Miami each have 14 games remaining coming off losses in their respective most recent outings. The Bulls are the only team among the Play-In field to have a win in their last contest.
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