The game between the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns will take place at United Center on Friday, March 3 at 8:00 PM ET.
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The Chicago Bulls will welcome the Phoenix Suns to United Center for an NBA game on Friday. The Charlotte Hornets won 115-117 in their last game over the Pistons. Zach LaVine scored 41 points and the Detroit Pistons called one too many timeouts, helping the Chicago Bulls hold on for a 117-115 win Wednesday night.
The Pistons were trailing by two points with 9.7 seconds left when rookie Jaden Ivey called a timeout — one more than they had — to trigger a technical foul that gave LaVine a free throw that he made. “That was the first,” said 33-year-old DeMar DeRozan, who scored 21 points, including two at the line on the extra possession Detroit gave the Chicago due to the timeout blunder. “I’ve never seen that.” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said the loss was not Ivey’s fault.
“He panicked, but the game wasn’t won or loss on that one play,” Casey said. “It was lost in the first quarter. With the laissez-faire approach we had defensively, they got whatever they wanted. It’s such a mountain to climb when you get behind in this league.” Chicago led Detroit by at least 15 points in each of the first three quarters, and by as much as 21 in a game that suddenly got close in the final minutes.
The Phoenix Suns on the other hand won 91-105 against the Hornets in their last game. Kevin Durant feels a sense of comfort. Durant scored 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting in his Suns debut, helping Phoenix snap the Charlotte Hornets’ five-game winning streak with a wire-to-wire 105-91 victory Wednesday night. Devin Booker scored 37 points and Deandre Ayton had 16 points and 16 rebounds in the Suns’ seventh victory in 10 games.
Chris Paul added 11 assists. Durant, acquired in blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 9, showed no lingering effects from a sprained right knee that kept him out of action for more than seven weeks. And the 34-year-old star fit in rather seamlessly with his new club, also grabbing six rebounds and blocking two shots in 27 minutes. “I feel like I fit in pretty well,” Durant said. “Everybody out there was trying to make me as comfortable as possible. I just have to keep riding it, man.” Durant made two 3s, a flurry of mid-range jumpers and showed he still has the burst to get to the hole on a driving left-handed layup for his first basket with the Suns. He also provided a boost on defense, blocking Hornets rookie center Mark Williams twice in the opening five minutes.
Suns coach Monty Williams said he doesn’t want Durant worrying about being a team leader, but rather just playing. “I think there’s too many players in the NBA that get too much pressure to lead,” Williams said. “I just don’t think it’s necessary. It’s my job to lead. The players do it in spots, but that’s the one thing I told him, I said, ‘I’m not looking for you to lead. We just want you to be yourself and hoop,’ and I think that’s where he’s the most free to be himself.”
Chicago Bulls: DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, Nikola Vucevic, Zach LaVine, Patrick Beverley
Phoenix Suns: Josh Okogie, Kevin Durant, Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Chris Paul
Chicago Bulls: Javonte Green, Lonzo Ball
Phoenix Suns: Landry Shamet, Terrence Ross
The game between the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns will take place at United Center on Friday, March 3 at 8:00 PM ET.
The match between the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns will be telecast live on NBC Sports Chicago, Bally Sports Arizona, Fox Sports Arizona.
| Country | Channel | Date and Time |
| United States | NBC Sports Chicago, Bally Sports Arizona, Fox Sports Arizona. | March 3 (8:00 PM ET) |
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