Chicago: Luol Deng's buzzer-beater in overtime gave Chicago a 102-101 victory over the Toronto Raptors at the United Centre on Saturday as the Bulls earned their fourth consecutive win and their NBA-leading 40th of the season.
Deng made a put-back shot for Chicago as time expired after James Johnson blocked C.J. Watson's shot.
The play was reviewed by the officials to confirm Deng had released the ball prior to the buzzer.
"I saw the light after I shot it, but I still wasn't sure how close it was," Deng told reporters. "Toronto played great. And we just found a way to win."
With the score tied at 100-100, the Raptors (16-33) missed three of four foul shots in the final 15 seconds to give the Bulls their opportunity.
"We had every excuse in the world to lay down and give in to a good team like Chicago," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey, who was without guards DeMar DeRozan and Jerryd Bayless.
"But our guys played with heart and with toughness, and I promised them if we continue to play like that and we get some more guns in, that style of play will win the NBA."
Wasted advantage
The Raptors charged to a 30-20 first quarter lead and after squandering the advantage early in the second they got their noses back in front 55-50 at halftime.
The Raptors missed three consecutive shots for the win in the final ten seconds of regulation, setting up overtime.
