Mikal Bridges hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 5:55 remaining, and the Brooklyn Nets held on for a 109-107 victory over the host Chicago Bulls in group play of the NBA’s in-season tournament Friday night.
The Nets and Bulls are part of East Group C and will face the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic in group play.
Bridges scored 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting, and his 3-pointer snapped a 93-93 tie following a steal by Dennis Smith Jr.
After Bridges hit his clutch shot, he made a baseline dunk with 73 seconds left for a 108-104 lead before the Nets survived the finish.
Zach LaVine’s short jumper made it 108-106 with 61 seconds remaining, and following Brooklyn’s shot clock violation with 37.9 seconds left, LaVine missed two jumpers. After Chicago called its last timeout, LaVine made the first free throw with 4.9 seconds left, intentionally missed the second, but missed a tying 22-footer at the horn after securing the offensive rebound.
Dorian Finney-Smith scored a team-high 21 points for the Nets, who won their third straight game. Cam Thomas added 17 while Lonnie Walker IV chipped in 11 and Spencer Dinwiddie contributed 10.
LaVine and DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points apiece, but the Bulls lost for the third time in four games. Coby White added 18 while Nikola Vucevic collected 13 and 13 boards as Chicago shot 48.3 percent.
The Nets ripped off an 11-2 run midway through the opening quarter when they shot 60.9 percent and held a 35-30 lead. Walker’s dunk gave the Nets a 45-35 lead with 7:52 remaining in the first half. But then Chicago scored went on a 14-0 run for a 49-45 lead on Vucevic’s layup with 4:11 left.
The Nets outscored the Bulls 14-9 over the rest of the half and took a 59-58 lead at halftime on Finney-Smith’s fourth 3 with 23.8 seconds left. The Bulls took a 76-69 lead on a hoop by Patrick Williams with 4:01 remaining but settled for an 80-78 lead going into the fourth.
–Field Level Media
