Nikola Vucevic had 28 points and 12 rebounds and Josh Giddey contributed 18 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists as the host Chicago Bulls rallied to defeat the skidding Washington Wizards 121-120 on Saturday.
Washington led for 42 minutes but relinquished the advantage down the stretch en route to its 14th straight loss.
Corey Kispert and reserve Cam Whitmore paced the Wizards with 20 points apiece.
Tre Jones (10 points off the bench) swished a pair of free throws with 34 seconds left to take the Bulls from a one-point deficit to a one-point lead and provide the final margin. Jones’ pressure on Washington’s final possession helped force Kyshawn George into a turnover that sealed the game.
Washington led 98-92 after three quarters. Vucevic brought the Bulls within 110-109 on a layup with 5:19 to go. He corralled an offensive rebound on the next possession and found Matas Buzelis, who drained a go-ahead trey with 4:51 left. A Vucevic layup about a minute later capped a 10-0 run that stretched the advantage to four.
Washington answered before quickly falling behind by five. George later drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:42 as the teams jostled in the closing stages.
Coby White scored 20 points for the Bulls while Buzelis added 13.
Washington’s Alex Sarr notched a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds in his return from a toe injury. George had 17 points and 12 boards while CJ McCollum (18 points) and Tristan Vukcevic (12) also finished in double figures.
Washington shot 45.8% compared to 42% for Chicago.
Kispert (15 first-half points) and Whitmore (14) helped the Wizards to a 70-64 halftime lead.
Washington used a 14-0 run midway through the quarter — keyed by two Kispert treys — to grab a 65-49 lead. But the Bulls responded by scoring 15 of the next 20 points.
Bulls forward Noa Essengue, the team’s first-round draft pick in June, played 3:53 in his NBA debut. Essengue missed his first career field-goal attempt on a corner 3-pointer in the second quarter.
Marvin Bagley III (hip), AJ Johnson (ankle), Tre Johnson (hip) and Khris Middleton (right knee injury management) missed the game for Washington.
Giddey posted his fourth triple-double of the season and the 22nd of his career.
–Field Level Media
