EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Devin Harris hit a go-ahead jumper early in the second overtime and the New Jersey Nets prevented the Chicago Bulls from taking over the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 127-116 victory Friday night.
Terrence Williams had a career-high 27 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the first triple double by a Nets rookie since 2001. Brook Lopez added 26 points and 14 rebounds, and Harris scored 19 as the Nets become the best friends of the Toronto Raptors for at least one night.
The Bulls' loss coupled with the Raptors' loss in Atlanta left the teams tied for eighth in the conference with 38-41 records and three games left in the regular season. The teams meet in Toronto on Sunday, and the Raptors have the tiebreaker should they finish tied.
Brad Miller scored a season-high 27 points with 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who lost for only the fourth time in 11 games. Derrick Rose added 25 points before fouling out in the second overtime.
Yi Jianlian had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Nets, who scored the final seven points of the first overtime to tie the game and then tallied the first seven of the second OT to take command.
Harris started the run with a jumper with 4:39 to go and Williams hit a jumper to stretch the lead to 116-112 with 3:12 to play. After Harris hit a free throw that fouled out Rose, he set up Yi for a dunk with 2:19 to play that seemingly took the air out of the Bulls, who were playing their second game in as many nights.
The Bulls nearly had the game locked up in the first overtime, scoring the first seven points and eventually leading 112-105 with 1:07 to play.
New Jersey scored the final seven points, though, taking advantage of two turnovers by Rose in the final minute. Lopez hit two free throws to tie the game at 112 with 12.8 seconds to play and Rose missed a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer.
The Nets blew a 12-point fourth quarter lead and were in danger of losing in regulation before Lopez made a spectacular rebound stuff of a missed floater by Courtney Lee to tie the game at 103 with 1/10 of a second to play.
The play was not without controversy because replays seemed to show the ball might have been on the cylinder when Lopez jammed it home. Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro appealed for the officiating crew to review the play, but they refused.
The Bulls outscored the Nets 17-7 in the final 4:42 with Miller scoring 12 in the run.
Chicago, which had not led since early in the third quarter, took a 100-99 lead when Joakim Noah tipped in a missed drive by Rose for a 100-99 lead with 48.6 seconds to go.
After Yi missed a jumper, Miller hit two free throws to push the lead to three points.
A drive by Harris got New Jersey within 102-101 with 4.6 seconds left and Rose left the door open, making one of two free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining in regulation.
Lopez's controversial stuff forced the overtime, which belonged to the Bulls.
New Jersey had used a 20-10 run bridging the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth to open an 87-76 lead on a layup by Josh Boone.
Notes
New Jersey won the season-series 2-1. … Williams banked in a running 35-foot 3-pointer to end the first quarter. … Nets starting F Jarvis Hayes sprained his right ankle in the first quarter and did not return. … Kenyon Martin was the last Nets rookie to post a triple-double with 18 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists on Mar. 5, 2001 against Atlanta. … New Jersey had five players with at least 15 or more points. It was New Jersey's first overtime game of the year and their highest scoring game of the season.