The Dallas Mavericks held off the Chicago Bulls 120-119.
Jaden Hardy’s 18-foot step-back jumper put the Mavericks ahead for good with 0.5 seconds left in the third quarter. They led 114-102 with 2:55 left, and the Bulls cut it to 1 in the final seconds. Nikola Vučević’s 3-pointer made it 120-119 with 0.9 seconds left.
During clutch time, the Bulls outscored the Mavericks 6-4. Vučević scored 4 of the Bulls’ 6 on 1 for 1 shooting and 1 for 2 at the line.
Klay Thompson scored 20 points (9 during a 15-0 run in the second quarter) with 5 3-pointers, and Kai Jones added 15 points (14 in the paint) and a career-high 4 steals on 7 for 8 shooting. The Mavericks had 7 players in double-digit scoring.
For the Bulls, Matas Buzelis had 28 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, and Vučević added 25 points and 9 rebounds. Coby White had 25 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. The Bulls had 3 20-point scorers.
The Bulls forced 6 turnovers, about 7 fewer than usual for this many possessions. The Bulls outscored the Mavericks 21-8 in 6 minutes with Collins, White, Terry, Phillips and Buzelis on the floor together.