CHICAGO -- Entering Friday night's game, the Chicago Bulls needed a win or a New York Knicks loss to clinch a playoffs berth.
The good news is that the Knicks did go down against the Phoenix Suns. The bad news is that the Bulls got clobbered by the Portland Trail Blazers, 91-74, at the United Center.
While the Bulls did punch a ticket to the postseason, the Blazers loss dropped them to fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, which means if the playoffs start today the Bulls will play a tougher Brooklyn Nets team instead of a weaker Washington Wizards in the opening round.
With LaMarcus Aldridge back in the line-up after missing 7 games due to lower back contusion, the Blazers relied on balanced scoring and tough defense to win back-to-back games after dropping 3 straight.
Mo Williams led the Blazers with 18 points and 2 assists while Damian Lillard contributed 16 points and 4 assists. The Bulls on the other hand, were led by Carlos Boozer with 16 points and 12 boards while DJ Augustin chipped in with 15 points and 7 assists.
The Bulls just managed a measly 33 out of 84 shot ( 39.3 percent) including only 3-for-17 from beyond the arc. (17.6 percent)
"You are going to have some days where you shoot the lights out, some days where you don't." Boozer told reporters after the game. "
I thought we got some good looks that didn't go down," Dunleavy added. "It sort of snowballed from there, just one those nights wherein we are not our best."
Indeed, the Bulls just could not make the shots fall. Kirk Hinrich, Mike Dunleavy and Jimmy Butler combined for a meager 4-for-24 from the field.(JM)
Photo: Joakim Noah (R) had a solid 11 points and 10 rebounds Friday night, but it wasn't enough to beat the Portland Trail Blazers, who scored a 91-74 win.
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