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Bulls Get Favorable Whistle Late But Won't Apologize For Anything In Much-Needed Win

By Cody Westerlund--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Bulls guard Dwyane Wade called the whistle "questionable." Teammate Taj Gibson acknowledged it was a "sketchy" call. Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins took the sarcastic route, saying it was the "absolute right call."

However you want to define it, the Bulls got a gift Saturday night at the United Center in their 102-99 win against the Kings.

Locked in a 99-99 tie, Wade stole the ball from Garrett Temple with 15 seconds left and set off down court with a go-ahead dunk in his sights. As he entered the lane with no one in his path, he took flight -- perhaps a step too soon, he'd later say. At his apex, Wade began losing the ball, and he bungled his dunk attempt off the back iron as he struggled to find control.

The Kings corralled the rebound, and coach Dave Joerger's hopes flickered.

"I saw us with the ball and a three-on-one," Joerger said.

Three seconds later, amid the roar of the crowd, finally the whistle could be heard. Official Michael Smith had cited Cousins for the slightest of brushes with his hand into the small of Wade's back. Wade would sink a go-ahead free throw, and the whistle allowed the Bulls to set up their defense for the final sequence.

Wade admitted the call was "questionable." The alleged perpetrator, Cousins saved himself from a fine by taking the sarcastic route in his postgame media session, which came minutes after he knocked over a trash can in frustration on his way back to the locker room.

"They made the absolute right call," Cousins said. "Incredible job by the refereeing crew tonight. I don't have a complaint in the world. I think they should get more recognition on how well they ref these games. I don't think they get the credit they deserve, so kudos to them."

"Sometimes you get a call, sometimes you don't," added Wade, who scored a team-high 30 points and made several big plays late. "I'm a person who hasn't gotten a lot all year, so I'm not about to apologize for anything."

It was fitting that Cousins and Wade were front and center in the final sequences, for they were the stars of the night. Cousins scored a game-high 42 points on 16-of-28 shooting to go along with 14 rebounds, and he made it look easy. Whenever the Bulls utilized center Robin Lopez on him, Cousins took him to the perimeter and rained in jumpers when he wasn't beating him off the bounce. When the Bulls pestered Cousins with smaller defenders, he took them to the block.

"I don't know what fighting an alligator is like," Gibson said. "But it must be just like that. He's a load down low. Your best bet is to try to slow him down on the perimeter."

That's what the Bulls did on the Kings' penultimate possession. Trailing 100-99, Sacramento isolated Cousins a good 30 feet from the hoop on the right wing. He tried to take Gibson off the bounce, but Gibson did a strong job in halting penetration. As Cousins looked for another driving path, Wade swooped in for a steal on another big defensive play. A Michael Carter-Williams dunk and wayward Kings 3-pointer shot at the buzzer were all that would follow.

"Just a read," Wade said of stopping Cousins on that play. "We knew they were going to go to DeMarcus at that point. I was actually, I was on his weak side, because we forced him to his left. He's a guy that loves to go right, so once we forced him left, and we kind of cut him off and he went to go to his right hand. It's something I would've done.

"Just being in the right place at the right time and trying to mess up his timing and take the ball when it was right there for me."

The win vaulted the Bulls to 22-23, good for sole possession of eighth place in the East. They felt it shouldn't have come down to the final seconds to beat an underwhelming Sacramento team that's 16-27, but any win was a welcome one after submitting a complete dud in Atlanta a night prior.

"We haven't been good in non-desperate ones," Wade said. "When we win three in a row or we're playing a team we should beat, we haven't been good in those moments. But in desperate moments, I actually like this team."

Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. He's also the co-host of the @LockedOnBulls podcast, which you can subscribe to on iTunes and Stitcher. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.

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