National Basketball Association
Chicago 130, Washington 122
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, January 7, 2022
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Officials: #3 Nick Buchert, #79 John Conley, #60 James Williams
Attendance: 21700

Zach LaVine's game-high 27 points led six Chicago Bulls in double figures Friday night as they stretched their winning streak to nine games with a 130-122 defeat of the visiting Washington Wizards.

Coby White came off the bench to can 21, while Lonzo Ball and Ayo Dosunmu each added 18 points. Nikola Vucevic stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, and DeMar DeRozan contributed 15 points and eight assists.

All five starters scored in double figures for Washington, led by Bradley Beal's 26 points. Kyle Kuzma added a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Spencer Dinwiddie chipped in 18 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Daniel Gafford each bagged 14 points.

The difference in a game where both teams canned better than 50 percent of their shots was the 3-point line. While the Bulls drilled 15 of 33 from distance, the Wizards were only 7 of 24, a 24-point divide that was too great to overcome.

The final margin was somewhat flattering to Washington. Chicago led by as many as 19 on Dosunmu's steal and dunk with 3:43 left in the game before the Wizards rattled off the game's final 11 points.

Beal got Washington off to an 18-16 lead less than six minutes into the game with a finger roll, giving him 10 quick points. But Chicago responded as White supplied eight points in about four minutes, giving it a 37-32 cushion after a quarter.

The second quarter was also defense-optional, the Bulls quickly expanding the margin to 12 on a 3-pointer by Dosunmu less than 90 seconds in. The Wizards fought back within 50-49 but got no closer as White drained a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left for a 73-66 advantage at halftime.

Washington grabbed an 81-80 edge with 7:35 left in the third quarter when Beal nailed a pair of free throws. But Chicago answered back with consecutive 3-pointers by Ball that sparked a run that White capped with a pair of treys that helped make it 107-95 going to the fourth period.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Washington   Chicago
Bradley Beal 26 Scoring Zach LaVine 27
Bradley Beal 6 Assists DeMar DeRozan 8
Kyle Kuzma 11 Rebounds Nikola Vucevic 14
Spencer Dinwiddie 9 Free Throws Made Zach LaVine 8
Spencer Dinwiddie 2 Steals Nikola Vucevic 4
Corey Kispert 2 Blocks Tony Bradley 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Washington 122 51.1 7-24 25-26 28 41 5 8 15
Chicago 130 52.7 15-33 19-21 34 41 3 11 15
Upcoming Games
  • Chicago will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Bulls have a W/L % of .731 after a win and .700 after a loss.
  • Washington will play their next game on the road against Orlando. The Wizards have a W/L % of .474 after a win and .500 after a loss.