Bulls, Wade overcome Kings, Cousins' 42 points
CHICAGO -- Guard Dwyane Wade scored 30 points and made several defensive stops in the fourth quarter, and the Chicago Bulls held on for a 102-99 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night.
Forward Jimmy Butler added 23 points for the Bulls. Chicago (22-23) snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 14-9 on its home court.
Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins led all scorers with 42 points and 14 rebounds. Sacramento (16-27) has lost five games in a row for the first time this season.
A controversial foul call put Wade on the free throw line with the score tied at 99 and 14 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. Officials ruled that Cousins nudged Wade as he attempted a breakaway dunk. Cousins glared at the officiating crew as Wade hit one of two free throws to give the Bulls a 100-99 lead.
On the next possession, Wade stripped Cousins of the ball and pushed a pass to guard Michael Carter-Williams for a game-sealing dunk. Cousins waved his arms and shouted toward the officials as he stormed off the court.
Wade fueled the Bulls with several defensive plays in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. He blocked a 3-point attempt by Kings guard Arron Afflalo and forced a turnover several minutes later before converting with a layup to put Chicago ahead 95-91.
Cousins responded with back-to-back 3-pointers to give Sacramento a 97-95 lead with 2:13 remaining. Wade quickly answered with a fadeaway jump shot to even the score.
Two dazzling plays gave the Bulls a 75-73 advantage entering the fourth quarter. Forward Nikola Mirotic drove for a baseline dunk to even the score at 73. Butler followed with an up-and-under layup to put the Bulls on top.
Chicago led 55-52 after a back-and-forth first half that featured nine lead changes and 10 ties. A 3-pointer by Bulls forward Doug McDermott gave the Bulls a nine-point lead early in the second quarter.
The Kings responded with an 11-3 run that included six points by reserve guard Ty Lawson, who finished the game with eight points.
NOTES: Chicago F Jimmy Butler returned to the United Center for the first time since he was named as an Eastern Conference starter in the All-Star Game. Butler and Oklahoma City G Russell Westbrook entered Saturday as the only NBA players to average at least 24 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. ... Sacramento F Garrett Temple started his second consecutive game in place of F Rudy Gay, who will miss the rest of the season because of a ruptured left Achilles tendon. ... Chicago G Michael Carter-Williams started his 12th consecutive game ahead of G Rajon Rondo, who has been relegated to a bench role for the past three weeks. ... Sacramento F/C DeMarcus Cousins needed one point Saturday to move past Peja Stojakovic for second place on the Kings' all-time scoring list. The franchise's all-time scoring leader is Mitch Richmond.