FINAL FROM PHOENIX: Bulls 116 Phoenix 101 ( Bulls: 20-52, 12-25 on the road).
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: Lopez: 24 points . Suns: Ayton and Booker each scored 25 points.
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Markkanen: 9 Suns: Ayton: 12
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: LaVine: 7 Suns: Booker 7
CCI RECAP: The Bulls jumped on the Suns for 34 first quarter points as veteran Robin Lopez went to work on the NBA’s number one overall pick Deandre Ayton scoring deep in the post as Lopez went 11-14 from the floor. Lopez finished with 24 points and 7 rebounds. Kris Dunn was assertive as well scoring nine of his 14 points the opening period.
The Bulls scored a robust 76 points in the paint. The Bulls snapped a five game losing streak. The Bulls swept the season series from Phoenix for the first time since 2013-14.
CCI IN THE LOCKER ROOM: "We got a lot from our Centers tonight, Robin was terrific and Cris did a great job too. When Robin gets on a roll, and gets that jump hook going, he's got great poise in the pocket and he's a big strong dude" - Coach Boylen
BullsTV Recap: Bulls 116, Suns 101
UP NEXT: Home with Washington, Wednesday.
CCI 24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES:
Denver 114 - Boston 105. The Nuggets are in the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Denver and Golden State have identical 47-22 records.
Cleveland 126 - Detroit 119. The Cavs won their 18th game as rookie Collin Sexton scored 27 points. Blake Griffin sat out. When Griffin misses a game Detroit is 0-3. Andre Drummond with a 21-21 game. He has 33 games of at least 15 points-15 rebounds.
San Antonio 111 - Golden State 105. Make it nine straight wins for the Spurs. DeMar DeRozan 26-9-8.
Portland 106 - Indiana 98. Damian Lillard recorded his first ever 30 points-15 assists game.
Toronto 128 - New York 92. The Raps sat Kawhi Leonard but sill managed to win their 50th game of the season. A CCI favorite, Fred Van Vleet had 13 points and 12 assists. Kyle Lowry left the game with ankle soreness.
Utah 116 - Washington 95. The Wizards will need a ton of help if they expect to make the playoffs. Utah dished out 35 assists on 49 buckets. The Bulls get a look at Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert on Saturday.
Miami 116 - Oklahoma City 107. Dragon and Wade combined for 51 points. Russell Westbrook served his one game suspension for picking up his 16th technical foul.
New Orleans 129 - Dallas 125. Dirk Nowitzki passed Wilt Chamberlain for sixth place on the all time scoring list. Luka Doncic 29-13-10. Elfrid Payton with his fifth straight triple-double. He joins Oscar Robertson, Russell Westbrook, Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan as players who recorded five straight.
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