Ayo Dosunmu is staying aggressive when his opportunities arise, and the Chicago Bulls could not be more pleased.
After erupting for a career-best 34 points in Saturday’s home win against the Washington Wizards, Dosunmu will aim for an encore Monday when Chicago hosts the Portland Trail Blazers.
Still without guard Coby White (right hip strain), who missed his second straight game Saturday, the Bulls have seen Dosunmu make the most of increased minutes with a revamped approach.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan said after the Wizards game that the Bulls are hopeful White can return in a week or less. While that may mean a shift for Dosunmu, his improvement has persisted even in a reserve role.
Dosunmu enters Monday averaging 11.2 points in 28 minutes, both highs in his three-season career.
Portland opened March with two victories at Memphis in as many nights but has lost six of eight since, including a 126-107 defeat in New Orleans on Saturday.
The Trail Blazers (19-48) sputtered down the stretch, scoring just 15 points in the fourth quarter.
While Anfernee Simons (25 points, eight assists) and Deandre Ayton (20 points, eight rebounds) both flirted with double-doubles, guard Dalano Banton remained the team’s most notable offensive development.
A trade-deadline acquisition from Boston, who spent his first two seasons with Toronto, Banton led the Blazers with 28 points Saturday while connecting on 4 of 8 attempts from long range.
Banton is shooting 38.7 percent from 3-point range in 16 games with Portland after shooting just 12.5 percent with the Celtics.
Chicago is aiming for a season sweep of Portland after earning a 104-96 road victory on Jan. 28. DeMar DeRozan sparked the Bulls with 20 points and has reached that mark in eight straight games against the Blazers. Portland’s Jerami Grant led all scorers with 24 points.
The Bulls have won four straight games in the series. Portland is 67-66 against Chicago all-time.
