The Chicago Bulls clawed back from a double-digit deficit late in the third quarter to take the victory on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the NBA preseason.
Jevon Carter made good on a clutch basket late in the fourth quarter to push the Chicago Bulls past the Cleveland Cavaliers, 118-117, in the NBA preseason at the Rocker Arena in Cleveland on Tuesday evening (Wednesday morning, Manila time).
The Bulls trailed by as much as 11, 87-76, with 1:34 remaining in the third quarter before the Bulls were able to clamp down on defense in the final canto to chip away at the lead.
A defensive stop also sealed the victory for the Bulls after Dalen Terry swatted a shot from Thomas Bryant to keep Chicago ahead by one with 0.3 ticks left in the ballgame. Terry’s defense bailed out the Bulls after Yuki Kawamura missed on the go-ahead triple in the previous possession.
While Bryant had another shot at the potential game winning alley oop from the inbound, he was unable to get it off in time with the Bulls holding on for the victory with the slightest of margins in their preseason meeting.
Meanwhile, Carter’s basket with 37 ticks left gave Chicago a two-point cushion, 118-116.
This was the punctuation mark on a pivotal 9-2 run in the last three minutes of the ball game that flipped the script on the Cavs even after they were ahead by two possessions, 114-109 with 3:09 remaining after a Bryant triple.
Matas Buzelis paced the Bulls in the victory with 19 points, eight rebounds, one assist, and one block.
Carter, meanwhile, finished with 10 markers on 4-of-7 shooting.
De’Andre Hunter and Craig Porter Jr. had 17 markers each in the losing effort for the Cavs.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.