The Chicago Bulls defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, 129-121, at United Center on Saturday night.

The Bulls (25-27) came out of the gates hot, forging a 34-27 lead through one. However, the Trail Blazers (26-27) roared back before halftime, posting a 43-25 advantage in the second quarter to take an 11-point edge into intermission. However, Chicago turned the tables in the third quarter by outscoring Portland, 33-17, and although the visitors got as close as within one on multiple occasions during the final period, the hosts' 12-0 run between the 7:41 and 5:13 marks of the fourth quarter sealed the hard-fought win.

Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 40 points, complementing them with five rebounds, five assists and one steal. Anfernee Simons supplied 27 points and five assists. Josh Hart generated a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double that included five assists and one steal. Jerami Grant furnished 13 points as well, adding five boards and four assists. Trendon Watford delivered 11 points, three assists, two boards and one block.

Zach LaVine paced the Bulls with 36 points, supplementing them with six rebounds, five assists and two steals. DeMar DeRozan contributed 27 points, seven boards, seven assists, one steal and one block. Nikola Vucevic generated a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double that included four assists. Ayo Dosunmu finished with 13 points, five assists, three rebounds, one steal and one block. Coby White went for 10 points and three assists.

The Trail Blazers return home to face the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night, while the Bulls remain home and host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night.