Coby White drags Chicago in the final: nine of his 13 points come in the last quarter and the Bulls complete the comeback by overcoming Philadelphia 109-102 on Friday night, achieving their fifth consecutive victory. Fewer smiles at the Lakers, where the injury of a starter complicates the plans
Reserves Tre Jones and Zach Collins scored 15 points each, while White added seven rebounds and six assists, with Chicago scoring the final 10 points to win, taking a 15-15 lead.
“It was a hard-fought victory after Christmas. We played in a somewhat disorganized way, but in the end we brought home the result,” White said.
“We never give up. To come back and win five games in a row says a lot about our character and who we are.”
Joel Embiid, who led the 76ers with 31 points, made a layup to put the Sixers ahead 102-99 with 3:45 left before the Bulls ran rampant late.
Jalen Smith dunked and White hit a 3-pointer to give Chicago the lead.
White slipped on the floor on the Bulls’ next play but, sitting in the box, passed the ball to Jones who scored in support. Jones then added another layup and a free throw to set the final score.
“We kept fighting. We remained ourselves and united,” White added. “Everyone contributed towards the end and we made decisive plays.”
Tyrese Maxey added 27 points for the 76ers, who squandered a 24-point lead in a loss to Chicago last month.
Detroit ko to Utah, bad news for the Lakers
The Eastern Conference leaders, Detroit, were surprised with a 131-129 in Utah: a mocking finish with Keyonte George who scored the decisive basket 2.1 seconds from the siren.
Cade Cunningham tied the game with two free throws with 18.1 seconds left, but missed the game-winning 3-pointer as the clock expired.
The loss ended Detroit’s three-game winning streak and cut the Pistons’ lead over New York to 2.5 games. Utah (11-19) instead ended a negative streak of four defeats.
George was Utah’s leading scorer with 31 points, while Lauri Markkanen added 30. Cunningham led Detroit with 29 points and 17 assists.
Off the court, bad news for the Los Angeles Lakers, who announced that guard Austin Reaves will be out at least four weeks with a left calf injury. He was injured in Thursday’s loss to Houston.
In Indianapolis, Boston saw Jaylen Brown score 30 points, while Payton Pritchard added 29 with nine rebounds, leading the Celtics to a 140-122 victory over Indiana.
Sam Hauser of the Celtics added 23 points off the bench, making 7 3-pointers on 8 attempts, his only shots of the game.
The Celtics (19-11) achieved their fourth consecutive victory, while the Pacers (6-25) extended their losing streak to seven.
The Washington Wizards, driven by 23 points from Kyshawn George and 21 each from CJ McCollum and Bilal Coulibaly, beat Toronto 138-117 on the road.
The Wizards rise to 6-23, overtaking Indiana and leaving last place in the NBA, while the Raptors, led by Brandon Ingram’s 29 points, fall to 18-14.
Coulibaly, a 21-year-old French guard, added eight rebounds and three steals to his best performance of the season as Washington rallied from a 73-62 halftime deficit.
“We were a bit soft, we didn’t touch them. We returned to the field with more physicality. That’s what was needed,” Coulibaly commented on the comeback.
“My teammates found me in the right place. I feel like I’ve found my rhythm again. We just kept pushing.”
Victories for Heat and Suns
Norman Powell scored 25 points and Pelle Larsson added 21 to lead Miami’s 126-111 win in Atlanta.
The Heat thus interrupt a series of three defeats, while the Hawks suffer their fifth consecutive defeat.
Trae Young was Atlanta’s leading scorer with 30 points, while Jalen Johnson finished with 24 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Phoenix’s Devin Booker scored 30 points, leading the Suns to a 115-108 victory at New Orleans. Off the bench, Zion Williamson finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Pelicans.
Charlotte saw LaMelo Ball score 22 points, leading the Hornets to a 120-105 win in Orlando, while Jaren Jackson led Memphis with 24 points and nine rebounds in a 125-104 home win against Milwaukee.
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