CHICAGO – Tyreke Evans and the Sacramento Kings rallied from 35 points down in the second half to edge the Chicago Bulls, 102-98, on Monday night in the biggest NBA comeback in 13 years.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the NBA’s biggest comeback since Utah overcame a 36-point deficit to beat Denver on Nov. 27, 1996.
The Bulls led 79-44 with 8:50 left in the third quarter and were still up 83-50 two minutes later before they collapsed.
Evans finished with 23 points for Sacramento, which has its first two-game road winning streak since late in the 2007-08 season.
After Sacramento finished the third with a 19-5 run to make it 88-69, Ime Udoka scored 15 of the Kings’ next 22 points in 9:32 to cut it to 95-91. That’s when Evans took over.
Luol Deng scored 26 points and Derrick Rose added 24 for the Bulls, who were booed off the court.
At Phoenix, LeBron James and Mo Williams led a 15-0 fourth-quarter run as Cleveland handed Phoenix its first home loss of the season, 109-91.
James scored 29 and Williams 24 as the Cavs shot 53 percent. Steve Nash had 18 points and 10 assists for Phoenix.
The Suns, the NBA’s only unbeaten team at home at 10-0 entering the game, had won 19 straight there overall. Their previous home loss was on March 12 – to the Cavaliers.
Shaquille O’Neal didn’t get much of a reaction from the fans in his first game in Phoenix since the Suns traded him to Cleveland, just a smattering of cheers and boos when he was introduced.
In foul trouble much of the night, O’Neal had three points and five rebounds in 19 minutes.
At Indianapolis, Andrew Bogut scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to lead Milwaukee over Indiana, 84-81.
Rookie guard Brandon Jennings had 16 points and six assists and Michael Redd scored 14 for the Bucks, who snapped a three-game skid and won their first road game since Nov. 21.
Roy Hibbert had 16 points and Troy Murphy added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers.
Indiana had two late chances to equalize, but T.J. Ford missed a pair of 3-pointers in the closing seconds.
At San Antonio, Tony Parker scored 19 points and Roger Mason Jr. helped give San Antonio a decided bench advantage in a 103-87 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Parker, who was 7 of 11 from the field, had eight points in a decisive third-quarter run as the Spurs extended an 11-point halftime lead to 21. (AP)