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Wade, Bulls Hold Off Kings, NBA Scores

Published on February 7 2017 6:16 am
Last Updated on February 7 2017 6:16 am

By ESPN

Dwyane Wade knows he's lost some of his athleticism. But the Chicago Bulls' veteran guard hasn't lost the ability to make clutch shots.

Wade scored 31 points, including the final seven for Chicago to rescue the Bulls and help them hold off the Sacramento Kings 112-107 on Monday night.

The 35-year-old Wade had 11 points in the fourth quarter and hit the biggest shot of the game, a tiebreaking 20-footer to put Chicago ahead for good at 109-107 with 13 seconds left.

"He's a great player and hit a big one for us. He's been doing that for a (long) while," teammate Michael Carter-Williams said. "His instincts are still there. He comes up big down the stretch."

After the Bulls squandered a 27-point lead in the second half, Wade's late-game heroics included one more critical play. He stole the inbounds pass following a timeout and went the length of the court for a dunk to make it a four-point lead.

"Dwyane Wade played an unbelievable game. Take your hats (off) to him. It was vintage Dwyane Wade," Kings guard Darren Collison said.

Wade added a free throw with a second to play following the second technical foul of the night on a furious DeMarcus Cousins, who thought he was fouled on a 3-point attempt. Cousins was ejected after picking up his 16th technical of the season, a total that triggers an automatic one-game suspension.

Just after the third quarter ended, a minor fracas broke out that involved Cousins, teammate Matt Barnes, Bulls assistant head coach Jim Boylen and Chicago forward Taj Gibson. Cousins shoved Boylen's arm away as tempers flared, and all three players were given technicals.

It was a frustrating night for Cousins. He missed 11 of 16 shots and finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds. He left the locker room after the game, refusing to talk to the media.

Sacramento coach Dave Joerger wasn't sure if the Kings will have Cousins against Boston on Wednesday.

"I don't know, we'll have to wait and see," Joerger said.

Carter-Williams had 21 points for the Bulls, and Robin Lopez scored 17. Jerian Grant added 13 points as Chicago won its second straight and third in four games.

The Bulls played without leading scorer Jimmy Butler, who missed his second consecutive game with a bruised right heel. He participated in Monday's shootaround and was a game-time decision.

Wade is well aware of how Butler's absence affects his role.

"I know I'm going to get the ball more and have to make more plays," Wade said. "I'm kind of in the Jimmy role. I know I have to take more shots and score more."

Ty Lawson had 22 points and seven assists, and Matt Barnes added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Kings. Collison scored 14 for Sacramento, which has lost four of five.

Pacers 93, Thunder 90

Paul George keeps taking care of business. Last week, he outplayed the NBA's second-leading scorer. On Monday night, George's encore against the league's top scorer was every bit as impressive.

The four-time All-Star scored 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds and rallied the Indiana Pacers from an 11-point halftime deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 93-90 for their seventh straight win.

"I thought the first half they brought the physicality. It took us until the second half to adjust to it," George said. "I thought we played defense (in the second half). We played defense. We got stops -- simple basketball."

Indiana's winning streak is its longest in nearly two years, and it has held four straight opponents under 100 points. Along the way, the Pacers have won four straight at home and have beaten James Harden and Russell Westbrook with defense. Westbrook was limited to two assists in the final two quarters Monday.

George, meanwhile, scored 15 points in the second half and helped the Pacers break out of their first-half shooting funk. And when the defense ramped it up in the second half, the weary Thunder broke down.

Westbrook had an inefficient 27 points, a season-high 18 rebounds and nine assists. He shot 10 of 27 from the field and 4 of 10 on 3-pointers, including two missed 3s in the final 7.6 seconds when he could have forced overtime.

"The first look Russell got was OK, the second was pretty good," coach Billy Donovan said. "The goal would be for our team to play the way we did in the first half, to try to have a complete game like that."

Instead, Oklahoma City struggled in the second half, giving away a 52-41 halftime lead by midway through the third quarter. The Pacers then went on a 12-4 run to take a 79-72 advantage early in the fourth and never trailed again.

Indiana led 91-82 with 4:48 to go, but the Thunder scored eight straight and had a chance to take the lead with 1:39 to play. But Westbrook missed a layup, Steven Adams missed a tip and George answered with an 18-footer. Westbrook then missed his final pair of 3-point attempts.

"He (Westbrook) might have gotten his numbers, but we got the win," Jeff Teague said after scoring 17 points.

Monday, February 7 Scoreboard

Los Angeles Lakers 121, New York 107

Cleveland 140, Washington 135 (OT)

Indiana 93, Oklahoma City 90

Toronto 118, Los Angeles Clippers 109

Utah 120, Atlanta 95

Detroit 113, Philadelphia 96

New Orleans 111, Phoenix 106

Miami 115, Minnesota 113

Denver 110, Dallas 87

Memphis 89, San Antonio 74