LDN - Sports

Wade's 31 points power Bulls' win at Sacramento

[February 07, 2017] SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Dwyane Wade had three days to stew after he mishandled the Chicago Bulls' chance for a last-second victory over the Houston Rockets. Given another opportunity Monday against the Sacramento Kings, he had only one thing on his mind.

"I knew if I was in position, I was redeeming myself," he said after scoring the final five points in Chicago's 112-107 victory over Sacramento at the Golden 1 Center. "Losses like that one (in Houston) hurt. It's been a long couple of days."

Wade scored 31 points and made a 20-foot fadeaway baseline jumper with a defender draped all over him to break a 107-107 tie with 13 seconds left, helping the Bulls (26-26) hold off a furious Kings rally that erased Chicago's 27-point, second-half lead.

He then stole Sacramento's ensuing inbounds pass and added a layup that clinched the victory and put the Bulls back at .500 despite playing their second straight game without injured guard Jimmy Butler.

"Obviously, he's been in that position a lot in his career," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "It's one of the reasons he'll be in the Hall of Fame someday. He has a great ability to close the game."

On Friday, the 14-year veteran had his hands on the ball in a tie game at the end of regulation against the Rockets but lost his dribble, leading to a shot-clock violation. The Bulls fell 121-117 in overtime.

He responded against Sacramento by scoring 11 of Chicago's final 17 points.

"Vintage Dwyane Wade," Kings guard Darren Collison said.

That the Bulls needed such heroics left the Kings with a bitter aftertaste. Sacramento, trying to build on an overtime victory over the two-defending Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors on Saturday, instead were blitzed by 14 straight points in the first quarter en route to a 20-5 deficit.

The Kings were down 15 points at halftime, and a 22-10 Chicago blitz to start the second half made it 82-55 with 4:13 left in the third quarter.

"That's tough, especially after how hard we played last game," Collison said. "It was slow start, a very slow start. That's an understatement. It's inexcusable."

After Jerian Grant's 3-pointer put Chicago ahead by 27 points, DeMarcus Cousins' 3-pointer on Sacramento's next possession provided hope for the home team. Sacramento outscored Chicago 42-15 over the next 14 minutes and tied the game on when Cousins made a layup and was fouled by Taj Gibson with 30.8 seconds left.

However, Cousins missed the ensuing foul shot, and Wade made his shot from the baseline.

"He's a tough cover," Kings coach Dave Joerger said of Wade. "He's a stud man, he's a heck of a player."

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Bulls guard Dwyane Wade (3) drives to the basket during the third quarter of the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Sacramento Kings 112-107. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Carter-Williams finished with 21 points, and Robin Lopez added 17 for Chicago. Grant and Gibson each added 13, and the Bulls' starters outscored Sacramento's 95-49.

Cousins finished with 18 points, 14 rebounds and five assists for Sacramento (20-32), but the Kings lost for the eighth time in their past 10 home contests. Sacramento has not won consecutive games at home since December.

The volatile forward also picked up two more technical fouls. He earned one for a skirmish with Chicago guard Rajon Rondo, a former teammate, that ended with Cousins shoving Bulls assistant coach Jim Boylen. He earned his second after complaining he was fouled on Sacramento's final shot, a 3-point attempt that didn't draw a whistle.

The two technical fouls gave him an NBA-leading 16. He earned a one-game suspension for the Kings' Wednesday contest against the Boston Celtics, an automatic punishment for reaching 16 T's on the season.

Ty Lawson scored 22 points off the bench for the Kings, and Matt Barnes added 19. Collison added 14 and Kosta Koufos had 10. Sacramento's reserves outscored Chicago's 58-17.

The Bulls failed to score at least 115 points for the first time in four contests. Their three-game run scoring at least that many marked their longest stretch since April 2006.

NOTES: G Jimmy Butler participated in part of the Bulls' pregame shootaround but missed his second straight game because of the bruised right heel. He told reporters that he still has pain in his heel. He will be evaluated Tuesday and is questionable for the Wednesday game at Golden State. ... Kings GM Vlade Divac told ESPN on Monday that the team does not plan to trade F DeMarcus Cousins before the deadline. ... The Bulls play three contests in six days to conclude their second six-game trip of the season, then have only three more trips of more than one game the rest of the way. ... Cousins played his 466th game as a member of the Kings, tying him with former assistant coach Corliss Williamson for fifth on Sacramento's all-time list. Next on the list is Mike Bibby (476).

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