Rookie Johnson the hero of London win

For those without the means to watch NBA TV on Tuesday afternoon, the Bulls won their preseason game in London 102-101 when rookie James Johnson buried a 17-foot jumper at the buzzer to beat the Utah Jazz.

After Utah’s Ronnie Price hit 2 free throws with 25.4 seconds left to give his team a 1-point lead, Johnson shot an air ball from the corner, but the Jazz lost the rebound out of bounds with 6.5 seconds on the clock.

This time, Derrick Byars missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key, but a long rebound landed in Johnson’s hands and he drained the game-winner in front of the Bulls’ bench before being mobbed by teammates. The shot left his hand a split-second before time expired.

The exhibition game drew 18,689 to London’s O2 Arena. The Bulls played very well despite missing three starters. Derrick Rose sat out with a sore right ankle and Achilles, Tyrus Thomas with a hip bruise and John Salmons didn’t make the trip for personal reasons. The Bulls led by 11 points late in the third quarter before pulling most of the regulars.

Johnson and London native Luol Deng led the Bulls with 18 points each. The 6-foot-9 Johnson also grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds.

Jannero Pargo added 16 points and Kirk Hinrich had 11. Rookie forward Taj Gibson, starting in place of Thomas, scored 10 points before fouling out in 33 minutes. Joakim Noah finished with 10 points and 6 blocks.

Johnson was the No. 16 pick of this year’s draft out of Wake Forest. Besides his scoring and rebounding, Johnson showed some nice athleticism. He collected a pair of blocked shots and had a nice double-pump, hanging dunk that didn’t count because he was fouled on the way to the basket. With about a minute left, Johnson grabbed a defensive rebound and took it all the way for a lefty layup and 3-point play that gave the Bulls a 100-99 edge.

Paul Millsap led Utah with 18 points, while Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews scored 16 each.