Norman Powell tallied 25 points and rookie Caleb Wilson contributed 21 to propel the Chicago Bulls to a 132-125 comeback victory against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Chicago’s performance marked a strong recovery following their 43-point defeat to the Toronto Raptors earlier in the week.
Other key contributors for the Bulls included Leonard Miller with 19 points, Jalen Smith with a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double, Buddy Hield with 13 points, and Isaac Okoro with 12 points. Buddy Hield scored 13, Isaac Okoro had 12 and Tre Jones tallied 11 points and eight assists for the Bulls, who trailed by 15 points after the first quarter. And Myles Turner had 12 while Ryan Rollins, AJ Green and Kel’el Ware scored 11 apiece for the Bucks, who lost their second straight game to open the season, kyle Kuzma scored 14. And Ware scored around the rim to give the Bucks a five-point lead with 2:55 left in the third quarter, rookie Brayden Burries made a three-pointer. Smith beat the third-quarter buzzer with a dunk that cut the Bulls’ deficit to 104-102 entering the fourth. A missed three-pointer by Herro and two more free throws from Powell gave the Bulls a five-point cushion with 20 seconds left. Milwaukee jumped out to a 19-6 lead on Herro’s first triple less than five minutes in. Green sank a three-pointer in the closing seconds of the first quarter to give the Bucks a 32-17 advantage. But Kasparas Jakucionis and Rollins hit consecutive treys to build the margin to 44-31 with 8:35 left in the first half, matas Buzelis’s slam pulled the Bulls within seven. Which stamped a 16-0 run, chicago answered again and took a 55-51 lead on Hield’s three-pointer. Kuzma made a layup with three seconds left in the first half to give the Bucks a 62-61 halftime edge. Nickeil Alexander-Walker put up 14 points, CJ McCollum posted 13 points, Dyson Daniels contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and seven steals and Corey Kispert also had 11 points for Atlanta, which won its second straight to start the season. Naz Reid scored 17 points for Charlotte and Grayson Allen came off the bench for 11 points. Reserve Tidjane Salaun also scored 11 points. The gap reached 97-62 by the end of the third quarter. Needing about six and a half minutes to reach a double-digit total in the fourth quarter, the Hornets couldn’t even get it cranked up when the margin was out of hand. Paul George and reserve Neemias Queta had 15 points apiece while Derrick White added 12 points. New York has taken consecutive losses for the first time since dropping Games 2 and 3 of an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks in April, after which the Knicks won 15 of the next 16 games to clinch their first title since 1973. The last at 94-82 on a three-point play by Queta, before the Knicks mounted a 9-0 run, the Celtics led by as many as 12 points three times in the fourth quarter.
Tre Jones added 11 points and eight assists.
Milwaukee, playing their second game of the season, saw Tyler Herro lead all scorers with 34 points, supported by Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite jumping to a 19-6 lead early, the Bucks could not maintain their momentum.
Chicago grabbed a 108-104 lead in the final period following a Wilson slam and held off Milwaukee’s late push.
Wilson hit two free throws to put Chicago ahead 124-123 with 1:16 remaining, and defensive stops by Jones and late free throws from Powell secured the win.
Lakers vs. Clippers Key Developments
- Third-Quarter Surge: The Lakers trailed 77-76 early in the third quarter before a 14-1 run established a 91-77 lead.
- Efficiency Benchmark: Los Angeles shot 72.7 percent from the floor during the third quarter, netting 39 points to take a 103-90 advantage into the final frame.
- Closing Sequence: The Clippers cut the deficit to 119-113 following a three-pointer from Garland, but Quentin Grimes hit two free throws with 40.9 seconds remaining to secure the 125-117 win.
In other action, the Atlanta Hawks secured a franchise-record victory by crushing the Charlotte Hornets 128-81. Jalen Johnson and Aaron Wiggins both scored 19 points in the 47-point blowout, which eclipsed the previous record of 46 points set against the Sacramento Kings in 2017. The Hornets struggled with ball security, committing 27 turnovers throughout the game. The 47-point gap topped the old record of 46 set in a 126-80 victory over the Sacramento Kings in 2017.
The Boston Celtics withstood a late comeback effort from the New York Knicks, ultimately winning as Jayson Tatum recorded 36 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Including nine late in the fourth quarter, as the Boston Celtics withstood a late comeback bid by the visiting New York Knicks to escape with a 107-103 victory, jayson Tatum scored a game-high 36 points. The lone member of the Knicks’ rotation who didn’t return to the defending NBA champions, had four points and four rebounds in 22-plus minutes, celtics centre Mitchell Robinson.
The Knicks saw double-doubles from Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart, but were unable to bridge the gap in the final two minutes. Tatum sealed the game by hitting a turnaround jumper over Hart and a clutch three-pointer in the closing moments.
The Los Angeles Lakers remained undefeated through two games following their victory over the Clippers. Austin Reaves finished with 28 points and nine assists, while Luka Doncic contributed 23 points. Walker Kessler also played a significant role, shooting 10-of-14 from the floor to add 22 points. The win marked the ninth victory for the Lakers in their last 13 matchups against the Clippers.
Important Details
- The Lakers led 77-76 with 7:18 remaining in the third quarter when a three-pointer from Thybulle kicked off a 14-1 run that gave them a 91-77 lead with 3:43 remaining in the period.
