Coby White scored 23 points and had the first basket of Chicago’s 8-0 burst to begin overtime to help the Bulls defeat the host Charlotte Hornets 115-108 on Monday night.
White, playing in a return to his home state, also had 10 rebounds and nine assists on a night when the Bulls shot 37.5 percent from the field. They launched more than half of their shots from beyond the 3-point arc, making 18 of 60 attempts from deep.
Reserve Torrey Craig had 18 points for the Bulls. Patrick Williams had 17 points, Nikola Vucevic posted 16 points and 13 rebounds, Josh Giddey had 13 points and 12 rebounds and Jalen Smith posted 11 points to help Chicago to its second win in a row following a three-game skid.
The Hornets trailed the entire fourth quarter until Miles Bridges hit a game-tying 3 with 1.5 seconds left.
Charlotte played again without team scoring leaders LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Bridges led the way with 31 points despite going 1-for-10 on 3-pointers before draining the shot that forced the extra session.
Mark Williams provided 20 points and 12 rebounds and Seth Curry had 17 points, but that didn’t prevent the Hornets’ losing streak from reaching eight games. Josh Green added 14 points.
The Bulls scored 17 points in overtime, topping their 15-point first-quarter output.
White’s offense came despite going 1-for-11 on threes. Patrick Williams and Craig made up for it by bagging five 3-pointers apiece.
The Bulls had a cold spell down the stretch of regulation after leading 91-84 with just over four minutes to play.
Mark Williams completed a three-point play with 1:32 left in regulation to bring Charlotte within 96-95. White’s short jumper stretched the Chicago lead to three with 1:09 remaining.
Charlotte’s next two possessions resulted in a turnover and a missed 3-pointer, but the Bulls couldn’t put the game out of reach.
After White’s jumper was off the mark, the Hornets got the ball back with 10.1 seconds to play before Bridges tied the contest.
Once White opened the overtime scoring, Vucevic and Craig added 3-pointers before Charlotte could get on the board. The Hornets trailed by at least five the rest of the way.
–Field Level Media
