>>Bulls Edge Wizards
In just his eighth game in the league - and third with the Bulls - Walt Lemon, Jr. scored a career-high 24 points, including two free throws with 1.8 seconds to play, to help Chicago snap a five-game losing streak with a 115-114 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
Lemon was one of seven Bulls in double figures in the matchup of teams whose seasons will end without a playoff appearance.
JaKarr Sampson added 18 points for Chicago.
Thomas Bryant scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Washington. Bobby Portis had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Bradley Beal added 19 points.
The Wizards played their first game since Ernie Grunfeld was fired as team president after 16 seasons on Tuesday.
Chicago trailed by as many as eight in the fourth quarter, but took a 113-112 lead on Lemon's layup with 30 seconds to play. Chasson Randle hit two free throws with 12.7 seconds to play to give Washington a 114-113 lead.
The Bulls host the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.
>>Pacers Top Pistons For Second Time This Week
Blake Griffin missed a third straight game Wednesday, and the Detroit Pistons were routed 108-89 by the Indiana Pacers.
The out-of-town scoreboard had mostly good news for the Pistons. Brooklyn and Miami both lost, so Detroit remained alone in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. But the Nets and the Orlando Magic are just a half-game behind, and the Heat - who dropped to ninth - are only a game back of the Pistons.
Thaddeus Young scored 21 points for the Pacers, who snapped a 10-game losing streak on the road and won for just the third time in their last 10 games overall. Bojan Bogdanovic and Myles Turner scored 17 points apiece, and Domantas Sabonis added 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Indiana closed the third quarter with nine straight points, and Doug McDermott's 3-pointer gav e the Pacers a 78-62 lead.
Andre Drummond had 28 points and 19 rebounds for the Pistons, and Wayne Ellington scored 24 points.
The Pistons turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter and trailed 18-15 after one. Indiana was up 44-36 at halftime.
The Pacers are safely in the playoffs, but they're still tied after Wednesday with Boston for fourth place in the East. So home court in the first round is at stake for both those teams down the stretch.
Drummond tied his own team record with his 66th double-double of the season. He also had that many in 2015-16. Isiah Thomas had 65 in 1984-85.
The Pacers host Boston on Friday night.
