Bulls Hold Off Kings, 102-99
CHICAGO (AP) — Dwyane Wade had 30 points and two key steals in the final minute, Jimmy Butler added 23 points and the Chicago Bulls overcame a 42-point performance by DeMarcus Cousins for a 102-99 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night.
Wade, who had 13 points in the fourth quarter, snapped a 99-all tie by making a free throw with 14 seconds left. He had missed a breakaway dunk after making a steal, but Cousins was called for a foul for putting his hand on Wade's hip as he tried to dunk the ball.
On the next Kings possession, Wade came up with another steal and fed Michael Carter-Williams for a breakaway basket to seal the win.
Cousins was 16 for 28 from the field, including 2 for 7 on 3-pointers, and added 14 rebounds.
Chicago took a 55-52 halftime lead, but Sacramento started quickly in the third quarter and took a 61-59 lead on a Cousins' three-point play. The Kings led by as many as seven points before the Bulls closed with a 12-3 run to take a 75-73 lead into the fourth.
The score was tight throughout much of the final quarter before the Bulls rallied for a 95-91 lead with three minutes to go on a three-point play by Wade. Cousins, though, answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to put Sacramento back on top, 97-95, with just over two minutes left. Wade hit a jumper on Chicago's next possession to tie the score with 1:53 to play.
Following a scoreless possession by each team, Cousins gave the Kings a 99-97 edge with 52 seconds remaining. The Bulls tied it again on Robin Lopez's follow of Butler's miss with 36 seconds to play, setting the stage for Wade.
TIP-INS
Kings: They have dropped seven straight in Chicago. Sacramento's last win was a 102-98 victory on Dec. 21, 2009 — a game in which the Kings trailed 79-44 for the largest comeback in franchise history.
Bulls: F Doug McDermott appeared to break out of slump with a 31-point effort (in 33 minutes) against Memphis on Jan. 15, but had a combined nine points on 4-for-13 shooting in the next two games before Saturday. He had three points on 1-for-5 shooting on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Kings: Visit the Detroit Pistons on Monday night in the third game of eight-game road trip.
Bulls: At Orlando on Tuesday night. Chicago had a 112-80 victory in the first meeting with the Magic on Nov. 7.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.
