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Lonzo hit a dagger to seal the win for the Bulls.
Lonzo Ball hit a huge 3-pointer with 17 seconds left to help the Bulls beat the Nets. (0:33)
Lonzo Ball was alone on the right wing as he launched a 3, crouched in anticipation, and then turned toward the fans behind him after hitting a dagger against James Harden.
Down four rotation players due to health and injuries, the Chicago Bulls continued their surprising start to the season by overcoming an 11-point third-quarter deficit to give the Nets a stinging 111-107 loss on Saturday night.
The Bulls have won three in a row and will leave New York with victories over the Knicks and Nets. This is the second time this season that the Bulls outplayed the Nets in the fourth quarter to win the Eastern Conference, and the Nets lost.
"You want to be the best, you have to beat the best," said DeRozan, who scored 13 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter. Everybody talks about being the best, but you have to go out and do it. If you are shorthanded, you want to be the best and compete against the best.
The Bulls tested positive for COVID-19 and entered the game with Javonte Green and Coby White. Alex Caruso was supposed to be the Bulls' power forward, but he was ruled out due to a injury that was bothering him entering the game. Billy Donovan said that it was a medical decision to pull Caruso and that he did not know how long he would be out.
The Nets looked at this game as a big test. They were shorthanded with Joe Harris and James Johnson out, and also with Kyrie Irving not with the team. They wanted to get a quality win over one of the top teams in the conference after losing in Chicago.
Brooklyn led 71-60 with 6:34 left in the third and appeared to be in control. The cushion was gone by the fourth. Harden missed 5-of-6 shots in the fourth quarter, but he was still able to score 28 points. The Nets defense allowed the Bulls to shoot a lot. Chicago had a big advantage in free-throw attempts.
"We have to go out there and play with some force and confidence, like we want to win," he said. Stick with the game plan and understand that it's a long game. It's a tough loss. We didn't take advantage of being up by a lot. We were supposed to bury them, but we let them stay in the game.
Harden, who recently admitted he is having difficulty finding balance between being more of a scorer and a player with Irving not playing, shot just 5-of-21 overall before finishing with 14 points, 14 assists and seven rebound.
Harden said to blame him. I had a lot of opportunities at the rim that I didn't convert.
He said he should have helped Harden more by making more shots.
"That would have taken the pressure off of him," he said.
The Nets watched another struggling shooter make the biggest shot of the game. After Harden scored to cut the deficit to 107-105, DeRozan drove and drew Harden with him in the paint. The point guard delivered the dagger 3 after DeRozan found Ball alone on the right wing. Ball was just 2-for-7 from behind the arc.
Ball missed 8-of-10 3-point shots in Thursday's win over the Knicks, despite having eight points, nine rebound, seven assists and three blocks against the Nets. The Bulls moved to within half a game of the Nets for the lead in the East as they continued to develop chemistry and trust in one another.
The wins against the Knicks and Nets say a lot about the team, according to the player. How strong. We approach challenges. We are not shy away from them. We accept them.
It is difficult to win in this league, especially when you play against two teams and the best team in our conference, and you have to fight back from a lot of adversity.
