Nikola Vucevic delivered the decisive basket with four seconds remaining, lifting the Chicago Bulls to a 128–126 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night despite a career-high performance from Brice Sensabaugh.
Vucevic finished with 35 points to lead Chicago, which received a strong contribution from its bench with five reserves scoring in double figures. Isaac Okoro was the only other Bulls starter to reach double digits, adding 12 points as Chicago played without Josh Giddey, who was sidelined by a strained left hamstring.
Sensabaugh was sensational for Utah, pouring in a career-high 43 points while coming off the bench. He scored 21 of those points in the first quarter, the most by a reserve in a single period since full play-by-play tracking began in the 1996–97 season. The Jazz were without leading scorer Lauri Markkanen, who missed the game due to illness.
Utah erased a 12-point deficit in the final 5:30 and tied the game at 126 on Sensabaugh’s driving layup with 28.5 seconds left. Chicago’s Coby White missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, but Okoro hustled to save the rebound along the sideline and found Tre Jones, who quickly fed Vucevic for an uncontested layup under the basket.
Keyonte George, who fueled the Jazz rally with 15 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, had a chance to win it but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Kyle Filipowski added 19 points for Utah, which was coming off a surprising win at Cleveland on Monday.
The game was tightly contested throughout, featuring 26 ties and 17 lead changes. It marked another thrilling finish between the teams following Utah’s 150–147 double-overtime win in their first meeting this season.
Up next:
The Jazz will visit Dallas on Thursday to open a two-game series, while the Bulls head to Brooklyn on Friday to begin a home-and-home set.
