The Chicago Bulls extended their winning streak to three games on Saturday, after beating the Brooklyn Nets 111 to 107.
Every time you have to face off Kevin Durant on his home court, you know the game is not going to be a walk in the park. And the game Saturday night at Barclays Center was anything short of a battle for the Bulls. The battle of the two top teams in the Eastern Conference was the game to see.
The first quarter did not start well for the Bulls, the team missing quite a bit and the Nets winning on the rebounds. This mismatch off the gate saw the Nets take on 6-point lead at the end of the 1st. But Chicago rebounded defensively, and while still shooting rather sporadically, managed to outscore the home team by two points in the second and go in to the locker rooms feeling good about the game.
At this time, both basketball teams were neck-to-neck and overall a winner of this match was impossible to call. The same shot-for-shot continued after half time, the Bulls managing to hold on and by the end of the 3rd quarter, Chicago was down by just 3 points.
Things got even better for the Bulls in the final quarter of the game, however. Chicago started with a 13 to 4 run and were six points ahead of the Nets and Bulls fans were looking forward to the final whistle. In the final seconds of the game, Durant scored a 3-pointer to bring the Nets just two points behind the Bulls, but Lonzo Ball shot a 3-pointer himself right back and the outcome of the game was a certain “W” for the visitors.
Kevin Durant, as expected was the leading scorer for the Nets, with a 28-point 10-rebound double-double, but besides LaMarcus Aldridge and his 20 points, there wasn’t a lot of help for KD. James Harden, who also ended with a double-double, scored 14 points and chalked up 14 assists.
Bulls, on the other side, had both DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine on fire at Barclays Center this Saturday. DeRozan scored 29 points, 13 of which were in the fourth quarter, helping the Bulls to secure the road win. LaVine was the leading point-man with 31 for the night, assisting six times and fighting out 8 rebounds. Lonzo Ball clocked in the most time on the court at 40 minutes, rebounding well and helping with the clutch 3-pointer at the end. The bench performance of the Bulls was also strong in Brooklyn, Derrick Jones delivering 8 points and Ayo Dosunmu scoring 11 on Saturday night.
The all-important victory for the Bulls placed them at the second spot on the Eastern conference table, just below the Nets, who are leading only due to better .696 record, thanks to being a game short. Chicago is now on a 3-game winning streak and will welcome the 11-11 Denver Nuggets to United Center on Monday. The sportsbooks in Las Vegas seem to be on the fence about this game, listing the game as “pick” on the betting sheets, although this would likely change as the game draws near.
