Bulls Rally from 22 Down to Beat Kings, White Scores Career-High 37
The Chicago Bulls staged a remarkable comeback to defeat the Sacramento Kings 113-109 on Monday night, snapping a four-game losing streak against their Western Conference rivals.
Coby White led the Bulls’ charge with a career-high 37 points, adding seven assists and five rebounds. DeMar DeRozan, who had a quiet first half, exploded for 19 points in the fourth quarter to finish with 33. Ayo Dosunmu contributed 20 points, while Nikola Vucevic chipped in with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
The Kings, who were led by De’Aaron Fox’s 20 points and 10 assists, built a commanding 22-point lead in the third quarter. However, the Bulls refused to go away, outscoring Sacramento 36-18 in the final period.
White’s layup with 47.1 seconds remaining gave Chicago a 111-109 lead, and DeRozan sealed the victory with two free throws with 3.5 seconds left.
The Bulls’ comeback was fueled by their ability to force turnovers and capitalize on them. They forced 18 turnovers while committing only 10, leading to a 24-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
“I thought we were really active with our hands,” said Bulls coach Billy Donovan. “Us being able to force turnovers certainly helps us get out in transition and it helps you generate some easy baskets.”
Despite being outrebounded 51-32, the Bulls’ defense held strong in the fourth quarter, limiting the Kings to just 18 points.
“Obviously, everybody’s down because it was a winnable game,” said Kings coach Mike Brown. “Even though we feel like we didn’t play well, we still felt it was a winnable game. We felt like we let this one slip through our fingers, and so it’s tough right now.”
The Bulls will next face the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, while the Kings will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers.