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Coach Nate McMillan's young and talented team was tested and tired Thursday night but waded through two overtimes before finally beating the Chicago Bulls 115-109.
It was just Portland's fifth road win in 15 tries but an impressive one. Star Brandon Roy was hurting after landing on his tailbone at the end of regulation and the Trail Blazers missed potential game-winning shots at the end of regulation and the first overtime.
But they didn't falter.
"To have two opportunities to win this game, you can see a team just have a letdown. But they didn't," McMillan said.
"In the huddles we just told everyone we had a shot to win. ... You can see there is fight in this group. They are beginning to see and believe in each other."
In the other NBA games on Thursday, Denver beat San Antonio 80-77 and Phoenix defeated Seattle 104-96.
The Trail Blazers got strong play from Jarrett Jack, who sailed in for a go-ahead three-point play with 19 seconds left in the second overtime after Chicago's Ben Gordon lost the ball. Now, Portland has won 15 of its last 16.
Both teams were playing their fourth game in five days.
"Both teams were tired," said Roy, who had 25 points and also suffered a cut under his eye. "Coach kept saying
'Just 5 more minutes, just 5 more minutes.' We just kept trying to push through."
With the game tied in the second overtime, Gordon lost the ball as he was dribbling to set up a shot, Jack picked it up after it was tipped by James Jones and drove for a go-ahead layup and was fouled by Gordon. His free throw put the Trail Blazers up 111-108.
"The ball sprung loose and I was just ready to get it. I knew I was going to attack him after that," Jack said.
Gordon was trying to maneuver and get open for a shot, as he did most of the game.
"I was trying to pump fake and get him in the air but the ball slipped out of my hands," Gordon said. "Somebody tipped it to Jarrett and I tried to get back and swipe the ball. ... I didn't touch him. I ran right past him. I was surprised to hear the whistle blow."
Moments later, Chicago's Joe Smith just missed an attempt from in front of the basket, was fouled on the play and hit the first free throw but missed the second with 14 seconds to go.
Portland rebounded and Jones sealed the exhausting victory by making four free throws down the stretch.
Gordon scored 32 points to lead the Bulls and Smith added a season-high 31 as Chicago dropped to 3-2 since Jim Boylan was appointed interim coach after the firing of Scott Skiles.
Gordon's jumper with 1:01 left had given the Bulls a two-point lead in the second overtime, but Kirk Hinrich fouled Roy, landing on him after he faked a shot with 45 seconds remaining.
Roy made the first and then went to the bench to have a small cut under his right eye treated. He returned to the line and rolled in the second for another tie.
Luol Deng, the Bulls' second-leading scorer at 18.5 points per game, left in the second quarter with tightness in his left Achilles' and managed only two points. He played just 13 minutes and 55 seconds, all in the first half.
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Deng said he'd hurt the Achilles' in an earlier game and aggravated it Thursday night when he came down after a jump shot. He might have an MRI on Friday.
"It was a very winnable game," Gordon said after the Bulls lost their second straight overtime game at home. Chicago let a 14-point third-quarter lead get away.
Roy missed a jumper at the end of regulation and Jack another one at the buzzer of the first overtime, but Portland still prevailed.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 14 points and added 13 rebounds for the Trail Blazers. Ben Wallace chipped in 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls.
Aldridge's basket gave Portland a 106-104 lead in the second extra period but Wallace, a 49 percent free-throw shooter entering the game, made two straight from the line and was 4-for-4 in the two overtimes.
Nuggets 80, Spurs 77
Kenyon Martin scored underneath with 45 seconds left after Anthony Carter stole the ball from Tim Duncan and host Denver turned away San Antonio.
Martin, who had missed four of five games since straining his right hamstring on Dec. 20, then rejected Tony Parker at the other end for his seventh block, and Allen Iverson sank two free throws with 6.6 seconds left to give the Nuggets a three-point lead.
After a timeout, Michael Finley was off-target on a contested 3-pointer that would have tied it.
Iverson scored 29 points and Carmelo Anthony added 17 for the Nuggets.
Parker and Duncan scored 20 points for San Antonio and Finley added 18.
Suns 104, Sonics 96
Amare Stoudemire scored 34 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and host Phoenix rallied from a 20-point first-quarter deficit to beat Seattle for its fourth straight victory.
The win was the Suns' 23rd of the season, the most in the Western Conference.
Steve Nash added 17 points and 10 assists for the Suns, Leandro Barbosa scored 16, and Shawn Marion had 11 points and 14 rebounds.
Rookie Kevin Durant led Seattle with 28 points, Earl Watson had a season-high 20, and former Suns' center Kurt Thomas and rookie Jeff Green each scored 14.
[Associated Press; By RICK GANO]
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