Suns outlast Bulls 116-115 in OT in Bradley Beal’s season debut
CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 08: Ayo Dosunmu #12 of the Chicago Bulls guards Bradley Beal #3 of the Phoenix Suns during the first half at the United Center on November 8, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHICAGO - Jusuf Nurkic powered to the basket for a layup with 7.3 seconds left in overtime and Phoenix outlasted the Chicago Bulls 116-115 on Wednesday night in Bradley Beal’s Suns debut.
Grayson Allen scored 26 points, hitting a career-high eight 3-pointers, and Kevin Durant added 25 points to help the Suns improve to 4-4 with their second straight straight victory.
Nurkic had 20 points. He failed to iced it with a pair of free throws with 0.4 seconds left — missing the first, then missing the rim on the second when he was trying to miss.
Beal had 13 points after sitting out the first seven games of the season because of a back injury. Acquired from Washington in June, the three-time All-Star guard played 23:33. The Suns still await Devin Booker’s return from a calf injury.
Nikola Vucevic scored 26 points for Chicago, which used a pair of gritty comebacks to make it a contest. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRoza each had 22, and Alex Caruso came of the bench to add 19.
Caruso, known for his defense, hit four point of five 3-point attempts. Allen scored 17 points in the second half.
DeRozan tied it at 107 on a layup with 15 seconds left as the Bulls pushed back to set up a wild finish and send it to OT. Durant missed on a last-second shot in regulation as he was defended by Caruso.
The Bulls used a 16-0 run late in the third an early in the fourth quarter to take a 92-88 lead, capped by Jevon Carter’s 3-point jumper 1:16 into the fourth.
The Bulls fought back from an early 18-point deficit to tie it 57-all at halftime.
UP NEXT
Suns: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night in an NBA In-Season Tournament game.
Bulls: Host Detroit on Sunday night.