Chicago Bulls (31-49) beat Washington Wizards (17-63) 119-108 on the road on Thursday, April 9, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Bulls struck first, taking the opening quarter 32-24 and a 8-point lead after one. The Wizards cut into the deficit with a 27-20 second quarter, though the Bulls still led by 1 at halftime.
The Bulls won the third 35-23 to create some separation, taking a 13-point lead into the fourth. The Wizards took the fourth 34-32; the Bulls held on for a 119-108 regulation win.
What decided it
The Bulls got more from their shots, finishing at 51.1% effective field-goal shooting compared with 44.8% for the Wizards. The Bulls took better care of the ball, turning it over on 14.2% of possessions compared with 16.2% for the Wizards. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Wizards did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 34.5% against 28.9%. The Bulls made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 105 possessions per team, the Bulls produced 112.9 points per 100 possessions to 102.4 for the Wizards.
The Wizards' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 32-15.
Who made the difference
Tre Jones was the game's biggest individual force for CHI: 31 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast on 9-14 shooting. His Game Score of 28.9 led everyone. His team was +19 with him on the floor.
Will Riley led the Wizards with 23 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl, 3 blk on 8-22 shooting, good for a 19.3 Game Score.
Julian Reese (16 pts, 15 reb, 1 ast) and Leonard Miller (26 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 55% for the Bulls.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, Chicago Bulls lead 5-1.
The Bulls are now 31-49, and the Wizards are 17-63. The Bulls last five before this game: L-L-L-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.