Dwayne Wade Thwarts Sacramento Kings' Comeback, Chicago Bulls Win 112-107
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Sacramento, Calif. – It’s the same old broken record with the Sacramento Kings. Their sporadic play fits the description of a box full of chocolates. There is just no way of telling what kind of flavor the team will taste like, be it good or be it bad, from one game to the next.
But every member of the DeMarcus Cousins Administration did find out that Dwayne Wade is a smooth bottle of wine that gets better with time. Wade helped the Chicago Bulls pull out a 112-107 victory over the Kings at Golden 1 Center.
The Kings were down by 27 points and made a mad dash for the finish line until Wade scored 11 important points in the fourth quarter, including a 20-foot fade-away shot to break a 107-107 tie and an inbound steal he turned into a runaway dunk with 10.2 seconds left in the game.
After the latter heroics, Wade turned to the Sacramento fans and shouted, “I’m I too old, huh? I’m I too old.” The 35-year-old Wade had 31 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two blocked shots for the Bulls (26-26, 11-15 road).
After the game, Wade clarified his verbal sparring with the people who questioned the 14th-year veteran’s advance years by professional measures.
“Well, I’m 35? That’s true. By basketball standards I’m considered old? That’s true. I’m not as athletic as I used to be? That’s true. But I can play basketball,” Wade lamented. “It’s a different game for me. Some nights are better than other. It’s like that in our prime. I’m a different player and not young like I used to be. But just like I told the crowd when they were calling me old, ‘they would love to have me on their team.’”
Chicago Bulls shooting guard Dwayne Wade was a happy camper after his team beat the Sacramento Kings. Publicity Agents photo art by T. Ray Harvey. Feb. 6, 2017.
Every starter for the Bulls scored 13 points or more. Michael Carter-Williams had 21 points, Robin Lopez scored 17 points, and Jerian Grant and Taj Gibson each had 13 points. The Bulls shot 81 times from the field, making 43 for 53.1 percent. Wade was 12 for 18 from the field.
“He’s a great player, he’s been doing this for a while, and his instincts are there,” Carter-Williams said of Wade. Carter-Williams also backed up his season-high of 23 points in the Houston Rockets loss on Feb. 3. “People always asking (Wade) is he getting older, this and that, but he continues to come up big down the stretch.
Just reeling off a 109-106 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 4, the Kings Sacramento Kings (20-32, 9-15 G1C) flipped flopped again. They like proving that they will self-destruct at the beginning of games, make lavish comebacks, and fall apart in the waning moments.
“With our injuries and everything, we have to be really on point right from the jump,” Kings head coach Dave Joerger said. “We just spotted them too many points and I always feel like we have a chance to be around at the end. But we have to be there right from the jump.”
Ty Lawson scored 15 points in the second half to finish with 22 off of the bench for the Kings, who have only two wins against eight losses in the last 10 games at G1C. Matt Barnes added 19 points and DeMarcus Cousins had 18 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists.
Cousins also picked up his 15th and 16th technical fouls in the Chicago game. Due to the infractions, the Administration may be without their leader for the Boston Celtics game on Feb. 8. He will be fined and suspended for one game if the latest technical fouls stand.
“I don't know, but we’ll see,” Joerger said when he was asked if he thinks Cousins will play against the Celtics.
The Bulls were averaging 122 points per contest in the last three games
before playing the Kings. In the first quarter, Chicago was gladly to show the Kings why it had such an high-offensive output since Sacramento is accustomed to slow starts.
Chicago was 11-for-20 from the floor in the first quarter, which produced a 27-11 lead while the Kings made 5 of 20 shots from the field. The Bulls had an 18-point lead in the first quarter when McDermott made two free throws with 41 seconds remaining.
The Bulls led 60-45 at the half. Carter-Williams, starting in place of Jimmy Butler who sat his second-straight game with a heel injury, scored 15 points in the first half. Carter-Williams made 6 of 8 shots from the field. Wade had 11 first-half points for Chicago.
The boo-birds came out after Lopez made a hook shot to put the Bulls up 73-48 with 7:53 left in the third quarter. The Bulls expanded to a 27-point margin with a Jerian Grant basket. Chicago led 85-69 after three quarters.
As the third quarter ended, Gibson, Cousins and Barnes were assessed technical fouls. Cousins picked up his second technical with 1.1 second left to play.
The Kings outscored the Bulls 38-22 and tied the game up 107-107 on a driving lay up by Cousins with 30.8 seconds left. Cousins was fouled by Gibson on the play, but missed the free throw. Wade got the rebound and 17 seconds later made the 20-foot jump shot.
After the Kings called a timeout, Wade stole a bad pass from Barnes and finished it off with a two-hand, fastbreak dunk. Wade added a free throw when Cousins received his second technical foul with 1.1 seconds remaining.
The Kings have lost 5 in a row to the Bulls. The first game in Chicago this season ended with a controversial 102-99 Bulls win. Cousins had 42 and 14 rebounds in that contest. There was nothing controversial about Chicago’s road victory in Sacramento.
“Chicago was knocking down tough shots at the same time and we we’re helping them with our offense,” Lawson said. “Our offense was putting up tough shots and missing them. It seemed like they were making every shot from that point on.”
By T. Ray Harvey | PA Public Information Officer and Photographic Artist
Twitter: Tony Ray Harvey @PublicityAgents
PA’s PRESS INFORMATION:
Jimmy Butler sat out his second game for the Bulls with a heel injury.
DeMarcus Cousins tied Corliss Williamson in games played in the Kings’ Sacramento era. They are both tied at 466 games in a Kings uniform. Cousins should break that mark when the Kings play the Boston Celtics on Feb. 8. But the two technical fouls he received against the Bulls put that it jeopardy. It’s 16th of the season. Jason is the top leader with 541 games played.
T. Ray (Antonio) Harvey is a Public Information Officer and Photographic Artist for Publicity Agents. Harvey is also the author of The HOMICIDAL HANDYMAN OF OAK PARK: MORRIS SOLOMON JR.
