Bulls bounced by Oden, Aldridge

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PORTLAND, Ore. – Greg Oden is starting to become a force on the offensive end.

Oden tied a career high with 24 points, and La-Marcus Aldridge also had 24 to help the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Bulls,
122-98, on Monday night.

“I’m not saying my game is where it should be, but when I can get good deep post position and overpower people and get good shots up, I definitely want to use my strength,” said Oden, who was the first pick of the 2007 NBA Draft.

He missed one of his eight shots from the field and added 12 rebounds.

Luol Deng scored 25 points, and John Salmons added 22 for the Bulls.

Portland’s 122 points were a season high, and the Trail Blazers outrebounded the Bulls, 47-27. They held the league’s leading rebounder, Joakim Noah, to eight boards.

“I definitely was trying to keep Noah off the glass. By doing that, I ended up getting some good put-backs myself,” Oden said.

Portland scored a season-high 66 points during the first half by dominating inside and getting to the free-throw line. Four Blazers scored in double figures during the opening half, led by Aldridge’s 17 points.

“We have to find a way to polish the game off and finish,” said Bulls guard Derrick Rose, who scored 14 points. “It’s very hard to rebound when you have someone like 6-foot-6, 6-7 boxing out 7-footers. We have to find a way to get rebounds and run.”