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Tuesday, Jan. 30 10:00pm ET
Bulls lose 12th straight

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Arvydas Sabonis and the rest of the Portland reserves saved what could have been a humiliating setback for the Trail Blazers.

Sabonis scored 16 of his season-high 23 points in the fourth quarter as the Blazers extended the Chicago Bulls' losing streak to 12 with a 92-81 victory Tuesday night.

"We've got to do a much better job as a team, or we will get knocked out of the first round of the playoffs," Portland coach Mike Dunleavy said. "If you are a good team and expect to win a championship, you need to lock down every single night."

Ron Mercer scored 22 despite the flu, and Elton Brand added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulls, who let an eight-point lead slip away in the third quarter.

Chicago, which started a five-game trip by falling to 2-21 on the road, is within one defeat of tying the franchise record for consecutive losses, set in 1976.

"It's very frustrating being up eight points and letting them get offensive rebounds," Brand said. "That really hurt us."

Steve Smith added 18 points and helped lead the surge by the Portland reserves in the final period. After an alley-oop dunk by Rasheed Wallace to start the fourth quarter and a jumper by Bonzi Wells, the bench players scored the next 23 points.

Sabonis had missed three straight games with back spasms, and he picked up two fouls in his first four minutes. But with the Blazers struggling on offense, his teammates found him again and again underneath.

"We need to concentrate more and have more discipline," said Sabonis. "We need to concentrate with teams like this right away."

Portland came back from eight points down in the third quarter to take a 59-57 lead entering the fourth. A jumper by Brand cut it to 67-66 with 8:03 left, but Sabonis made a reverse layup and got fouled.

"We didn't know if he would hurt us, but he really did," Brand said. "We didn't think he would play that much. He did, and really stuck it to us."

A reverse layup by Brad Miller pulled Chicago within 78-74 with 5:07 left, but Sabonis responded with a jumper after a steal by Smith. Smith then drove for a layup and Sabonis scored from inside to make it a 10-point lead with 3:45 left.

"Winning ugly ain't bad," said Portland's Greg Anthony, who played the entire fourth quarter at point guard instead of Damon Stoudamire. "It's the winning that's important."

Wallace, named a reserve to the West All-Star team earlier in the day, was held to 14 points, and Dunleavy pulled him with 9:41 to play after he lost a ball out of bounds.

The Blazers got Sabonis back just in time. Earlier Tuesday the team announced that Scottie Pippen had undergone surgery to remove a bone chip from his sore right elbow and would be out indefinitely.

Exactly five years earlier, on Jan. 30, 1996, Pippen had 28 points to lead the Bulls past Houston to seal a perfect 14-0 record in January. This season's Chicago team went 1-13 for the month.

Wallace opened the third quarter with a dunk, but the Blazers went the next 6:15 without a basket, recalling their brutal 58-point effort at Cleveland last week.

A reverse layup by Brand, followed by his fallaway jump shot and Mercer's fastbreak jumper, put the Bulls ahead 57-49, bringing boos from the Rose Garden crowd. Portland then closed the period with a 10-0 run, capped by Smith's layup off a rebound by Wells.

Portland's sloppy play made the game competitive from the start. The Blazers committed seven turnovers in the first 6½ minutes of the second period, but Chicago could only outscore them 6-3. A 3-pointer by Fred Hoiberg made it 35-34, but the Blazers went on a 10-2 run, all on long jumpers and free throws.

Game notes
The Blazers' 12-4 record in January matches the highest one-month victory total in franchise history. ... Chicago's Marcus Fizer didn't play because of the flu. ... Miller tied his season high with 12 rebounds. ... Portland is 23-5 against the Eastern Conference and 14-2 vs. the Central Division. The Blazers' only remaining East teams are Boston and New York, both at home.
ALSO SEE
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RECAPS
LA Lakers 102
Cleveland 96

Orlando 93
Indiana 86

Toronto 96
Philadelphia 89

Miami 103
Houston 85

Portland 92
Chicago 81

Utah 102
Seattle 88

Sacramento 105
Golden State 79

FROM
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