NBA: Kyle Kuzma’s late 3-pointer lifts Wizards over Bulls
Kyle Kuzma #33 of the Washington Wizards celebrates after hitting the game winning shot against the Chicago Bulls during the Wizards 100-97 win at Capital One Arena on January 11, 2023 in Washington, DC. Rob Carr/Getty Images/AFP
Kyle Kuzma scored 21 points, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds remaining, as the short-handed Washington Wizards rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to beat the visiting Chicago Bulls 100-97 on Wednesday.
Anthony Gill scored a career-high 18 points and Monte Morris added 17 for Washington, which snapped a three-game losing streak. Rui Hachimura chipped in 10 points and Deni Avdija finished with nine points and a career-high 20 rebounds.
Chicago lost its second straight despite the efforts of Zach LaVine, who scored 38 points. Nikola Vucevic had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Coby White scored 13.
LaVine hit one of his four 3-pointers with 30.1 seconds left to tie the game at 97-97 before Washington called timeout, setting up Kuzma’s winning trey with 6.2 seconds to play.
Kuz breaks down his game-winner tonight 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/WRMSGW2bmn
— NBA (@NBA) January 12, 2023
Chicago needed a 3-pointer on the team’s final possession to tie the game again, but LaVine instead took a midrange jumper that missed the mark and sealed the Bulls’ loss.
Chicago led by as many as 16 early in the third quarter but was unable to pull away from Washington, which erupted for 41 points in the quarter and carried an eight-point lead into the final period.
Both teams played without several key starters. Chicago star DeMar DeRozan (right quad strain) missed his first game of the season, while Washington was minus Daniel Gafford (right ankle sprain), Kristaps Porzingis (sore ribs) and Bradley Beal (strained left hamstring).
LaVine and Vucevic combined for 18 points in the first quarter to help Chicago take a 29-25 lead. The Bulls shot 61.9 percent in the opening quarter.
Chicago controlled the second quarter and held a 59-46 advantage at the break. LaVine had 19 points to lead all scorers.
Washington battled back and moved ahead 87-80 after outscoring the Bulls 41-21 in the third quarter. Morris set a career high for a single quarter with 15 points.
LaVine has scored at least 35 points in three of his last four games for Chicago, which was 6 of 9 (66.7 percent) from the foul line compared to 17 of 21 (81 percent) for Washington.
