CHICAGO _ Bobby Portis fielded several questions about his strong showing in February at Friday's morning shootaround.
He wasn't having any of it.
"I try to play for the team, play for the Bulls," Portis said. "I don't really worry about individual stats or anything like that. I just want to win."
Despite a strong portion of the fan base wishing otherwise, that's what Portis helped the Bulls do Friday night to snap a five-game skid at the United Center. His personal 6-0 run late in the fourth quarter gave the Bulls their first lead all game and his 22 points produced his career-best 11th straight game in double figures.
"I've been a team guy my whole life," Portis said. "One day I would like to be a starter but right now I'm accepting this role because I feel like I fit in really well for the team, bringing scoring and energy off the bench. That's very Bobby Portis."
Coach Fred Hoiberg said the lineup will be changed for Monday's game against the Celtics because the organizational plan is to look at different combinations around Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen for five-game blocks.
Starting Portis alongside Markkanen up front would be so today's NBA.
"It's always fun playing with Lauri," Portis said. "Me being a starter, like I said, it really doesn't matter. I've accepted my role as the sixth man. I get a lot of looks. I can be aggressive and be myself. I always was like that in college.
"Starting would be cool, to see if me and Lauri could play with each other for extended minutes. We play in the fourth quarter. Two guys who can space and shoot, it's great for teammates. Pass the ball and play well off each other. The high-low game has been there for us several times. If he pops, I roll. If I pop, he rolls. Just trying to play off each other, similar to what me and Niko (Mirotic) did together."
Portis scored eight in the fourth as the Bulls doubled up the Mavericks 30-15 in the final period. Lauri Markkanen posted his 14th double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds and David Nwaba continued to make his strong impact as a starter with 10 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
The Bulls swept the two-game season series from the Mavericks for the first time since 2010-11.
In yet another entertaining matchup between Dennis Smith Jr., and Dunn, whose brief history dates to a summer league mano-a-mano matchup, the Mavericks rookie finished with 25 points. Dunn produced 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
With a combined 40 victories, the teams were bound for some futility. Perhaps its apex came when the Mavericks drew the rare technical foul for only having four players on the court. Worse, the Bulls couldn't score on the offending possession. Denzel Valentine missed a wide-open 3-pointer and then also the technical free throw.
Portis has completely transformed his body since his rookie season, getting stronger.
"In training camp, it was always Taj (Gibson) who was stronger than me then and now playing against some other veterans around the league, bumping into them now, they be like, 'Damn, strong-ass dude,' " Portis said. "It's crazy to hear them say that."
No crazier than winning while many cheer for a team to lose.
