Bulls storm back to beat Bucks, Tatum's 36 lifts Celtics past Knicks in NBA
Chicago Bulls produced a stirring comeback in the NBA on the night, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 132-125 after trailing by 15 points at the end of the first quarter. The away victory gave the Bulls a more confident start to their season.
Norman Powell led the way for Chicago with 25 points. Rookie Caleb Wilson added 21 points, drawing early attention in his young career.
Leonard Miller scored 19 points, while Jalen Smith contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds. Buddy Hield scored 13, Isaac Okoro 12, and Tre Jones tallied 11 points and eight assists for the Bulls.
For Milwaukee, Tyler Herro fought almost alone with 34 points. Jaime Jaquez Jr recorded 19 points and 11 rebounds, Kyle Kuzma scored 14, Myles Turner 12, and Ryan Rollins, AJ Green and Kel'el Ware scored 11 apiece. Even so, the Bucks lost their second straight game to open the season.
The game turned late in the third quarter. Milwaukee led by five at one stage, but Smith's dunk at the buzzer cut the margin to 104-102. Chicago then scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to lead 108-104 on Wilson's slam.
Herro's back-to-back three-pointers briefly restored Milwaukee's lead, but Wilson's free throws put Chicago ahead 124-123 and they never looked back. The comeback carried extra meaning for a team beaten by 43 points by the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
In another game on the night, the Atlanta Hawks blew out the Charlotte Hornets 128-81. The 47-point margin was the biggest victory in Hawks history, topping the old record of 46 set against the Sacramento Kings on November 15, 2017.
Jalen Johnson and reserve Aaron Wiggins each scored 19 points for Atlanta. Nickeil Alexander-Walker put up 14, CJ McCollum 13, and Dyson Daniels contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and seven steals. Charlotte committed 27 turnovers, a major cause of their defeat in their home opener.
The Boston Celtics beat the visiting New York Knicks 107-103 at home. Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 36 points, including nine late in the fourth quarter as the Knicks tried to rally.
Tatum also finished with nine rebounds and seven assists. Paul George and reserve Neemias Queta had 15 points apiece while Derrick White added 12 for Boston, who have split their first two games, while the Knicks suffered a second straight loss.
The Los Angeles Lakers also surged past the Clippers on the same night, according to the night's results. Altogether, the early-season battle among the big teams is already taking shape.
