Bulls hold off Kings, end 3-game skid

[December 03, 2019]  Lauri Markkanen stalled a Sacramento flurry with four free throws and Zach LaVine buried a rally-killing 3-pointer with 1:15 remaining Monday night as the visiting Chicago Bulls held off the Kings 113-106.

In ending a three-game losing streak, the Bulls led by as many as 19 points and were still up 92-79 with 9:01 remaining before Sacramento, much as it had done Saturday in a dramatic win over Denver, came on strong.

A short jumper by Harrison Barnes got the Kings within 100-98 with still 3:18 to play before Markkanen hit his first pair of foul shots.

Then, after Buddy Hield had once again made it a two-point game, Markkanen drained another pair of free throws, followed by LaVine's 3-pointer for a 107-100 edge with 1:15 left.

Sacramento never got closer than four after that.

LaVine had a game-high 28 points and Markkanen 20 to pace the Bulls, who lost at Golden State and Portland to begin a three-game western swing.

Hield totaled a team-high 26 points for the Kings, who used a late 17-3 run to cap a comeback from a 17-point deficit to force overtime and eventually beat the Nuggets in their previous game.

Seeking a sixth straight home win and riding the momentum of their come-from-behind victory over Denver, the Kings started quickly, taking a 23-12 lead on a layup by Richaun Holmes with 2:57 remaining in the first period.

But the next 11:37 was dominated by the Bulls, who used a 35-8 explosion to roll into a 47-31 lead with 3:20 left in the half on a Kris Dunn dunk.

Bulls forward Thaddeus Young (21) argues a call during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago grabbed its biggest lead, 69-50, after a pair of Tomas Satoransky free throws in the fourth minute of the third period, and retained a 13-point edge, 92-79, after two more Satoransky foul shots with 9:01 left in the game before the Kings rallied.

LaVine (five) and Markkanen (four) combined for nine 3-pointers for the Bulls, who shot 43.2 percent from behind the arc and outscored the Kings 48-27 on 3s.

Satoransky contributed 14 points to the win, while Coby White had 11 and Wendell Carter Jr. 10 to complement a game-high 10 rebounds.

Holmes, Nemanja Bjelica and Barnes backed Hield for the Kings with 20, 18 and 16 points, respectively, while Bogdan Bogdanovic added 11. Holmes had a team-high nine rebounds.

--Field Level Media

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