Washington (United States) (AFP) – Chicago’s Coby White scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, and the Bulls rallied to beat Philadelphia 109-102 on Friday, stretching their win streak to five games. Reserves Tre Jones and Zach Collins each scored 15 points while White added seven rebounds and six assists as Chicago scored the last 10 points to win, improving to 15-15.
“It was a ‘grind it out’ win coming off Christmas. It was sloppy, a little bit, but we got the win,” White said. “There’s no quit in us. To come back and win five straight, that says a lot about our character and who we are.”
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Joel Embiid, who led the 76ers with 31 points, sank a layup to give the Sixers a 102-99 lead with 3:45 remaining before the Bulls stampeded to the finish. Jalen Smith made a slam dunk, and White sank a three-pointer that put Chicago ahead for good. White slipped on the court on the next Chicago possession but, while sitting in the lane, passed the ball to Jones to assist his layup. Jones added another layup and a free throw for the final margin.
“We kept fighting. We kept being us and we stayed together,” White said. “Everybody contributed down the stretch, and we made some big-time plays.” Tyrese Maxey added 27 points for the 76ers, who squandered a 24-point lead in losing to Chicago last month.
Eastern Conference leader Detroit was upset 131-129 at Utah when Keyonte George sank the winning jump shot with 2.1 seconds remaining. Cade Cunningham made two tying free throws with 18.1 seconds remaining but missed a winning three-point attempt at the buzzer. The loss snapped Detroit’s three-game win streak and dropped the Pistons’ East lead over New York to 2.5 games. Utah (11-19) snapped a four-game losing skid. George led Utah with 31 points, while Lauri Markkanen added 30. Cunningham led Detroit with 29 points and 17 assists.
Off the court, there was a setback for the Los Angeles Lakers, who revealed guard Austin Reaves will miss at least the next four weeks with a left calf strain. He was injured in a Thursday loss to Houston.
At Indianapolis, Boston’s Jaylen Brown scored 30 points while Payton Pritchard added 29 points and nine rebounds to lead the Celtics in a 140-122 victory over Indiana. Boston’s Sam Hauser added 23 points off the bench, hitting 7-of-8 three-pointers on his only shots of the game. The Celtics (19-11) won their fourth game in a row, while the Pacers (6-25) saw their losing streak reach seven games.
The Washington Wizards, powered by 23 points from Kyshawn George and 21 each from C.J. McCollum and Bilal Coulibaly, defeated visiting Toronto 138-117. The Wizards improved to 6-23, moving ahead of Indiana to escape the NBA basement, while the Raptors, led by Brandon Ingram’s 29 points, fell to 18-14. Coulibaly, a 21-year-old French guard, added eight rebounds and three steals to his season-best scoring total as Washington rallied from a 73-62 halftime deficit.
“We were a little soft not touching them. We came back with physicality. That’s what we needed,” Coulibaly said of the fightback. “Guys were finding me in the right spot. I feel like I’m getting my rhythm back. We just rolled.”
– Heat, Suns win – Norman Powell scored 25 points, and Pelle Larsson added 21 to lead Miami’s 126-111 victory at Atlanta. The Heat snapped a three-game losing skid, while the Hawks dropped their fifth in a row. Trae Young led Atlanta with 30 points, while Jalen Johnson added 24 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds.
Phoenix’s Devin Booker scored 30 points to lead the Suns in a 115-108 victory at New Orleans. Reserve Zion Williamson had 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists for the Pelicans. Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball scored 22 points to lead the Hornets in a 120-105 triumph at Orlando, while Jaren Jackson led Memphis with 24 points and nine rebounds in a 125-104 home victory over Milwaukee.
© 2024 AFP
