Mike Dunleavy sank a franchise playoffs record of eight 3s and the Chicago Bulls averted the peril of an 0-3 hole by defeating the Washington Wizards, 100-97, Saturday night at the Verizon Center.
Dunleavy's sharp shooting exploits above the 3-point arc eclipsed the previous record set by Scottie Pippen in 1997. More importantly, the victory put the Bulls on the board in this best-of-7 first round series, trailing only 2-1 after losing Games 1 and 2 at the United Center.
"I fell like I've been shooting the ball well, just haven't had a ton of looks. Tonight I had a couple of layups go in, and the basket starts getting bigger, hit a couple of 3s early, and it just kind of snowballs from there," Dunleavy NBA.com after the close Game 3.
All told, Dunleavy finished with 35 points. He missed just two of his 10 threes and converted 12 of 19 field goals overall. Jimmy Butler added 15, including a big 3 that put the Bulls ahead, 94-91, in the final 24.9 seconds of action.
Taj Gibson and D.J. Augustin each had 13 points and the Bulls made up for 10 bungled free throws by sinking 12 of 24 triples.
A scuffle marred the hotly-contested Game 3 when Butler and Nene got into a tussle in the 8:28 mark of the fourth quarter. Nene was ejected and left the game with only 10 points and four rebounds, hitting just 5-of-15 from the field.
John Wall and Bradley Beal combined for 48 points to lead the Wizards. Trevor Ariza had 16 and Marcin Gortat added 13 and 11 boards. Washington converted only 37 of 88 shots for 43 percent. (Homer D. Sayson)
Photo: A scuffle between Washington's Nene and Jimmy Butler of Chicago marred the Bulls' 100-97 win over the Wizards Saturday night at the Verizon Center.
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