CHICAGO (AP) — Matas Buzelis' layup in the final seconds put Chicago ahead to stay and Collin Sexton came off the bench to score 25 points as the Chicago Bulls beat the Houston Rockets 132-124 Monday night.
Houston's loss, combined with San Antonio's 136-111 win over Miami, allowed the Spurs (54-18) to clinch the Southwest Division.
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Chicago Bulls forward/center Jalen Smith (25) battles for a rebound against Houston Rockets center Clint Capela, right, and guard Amen Thompson during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Chicago Bulls forward/center Jalen Smith dunks against the Houston Rockets during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Chicago Bulls guard Collin Sexton (2) drives as Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) guards during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) drives against Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) drives to the basket against Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., center right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
The Bulls (29-42) led by as many as 22 points after scoring a season-high 41 points in the first quarter. But, Chicago trailed by four points late and needed Buzelis' basket with 10.2 seconds remaining to move ahead to stay and post their first win over Houston in the teams' last five games.
Kevin Durant fueled the Rockets' (43-28) comeback by scoring 15 of his game-high 40 points in the fourth quarter. Durant was 15 of 23 from the field, marking the ninth straight game he shot 50% or better, which is the third-longest streak of his career.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka was ejected after being assessed his second technical foul of the game with 9.1 seconds remaining.
Sexton scored 17 of his points in the first quarter, while Buzelis finished with 23 and Leonard Miller 17. Josh Giddey, Tre Jones and Jalen Smith each scored 15 points for the Bulls, with Giddey adding 13 assists.
After trailing by 17 at the half, the Rockets took the lead on a Jabari Smith Jr. 3-pointer with 5:56 to play. Alperen Sengun scored 33 for the Rockets and Amen Thompson added 23.
Jalen Smith, who was listed as questionable after missing the Bulls' last game with an ankle injury, tied his season high in points and finished with six rebounds and two blocks off the bench despite being limited to 26 minutes.
The Rockets had won two straight after inserting second-year guard Reed Sheppard into the starting lineup. Sheppard shot 3 for 14 from 3-point distance.
Rockets: Visit Minnesota on Wednesday.
Bulls: Visit Philadelphia on Wednesday.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Chicago Bulls forward/center Jalen Smith (25) battles for a rebound against Houston Rockets center Clint Capela, right, and guard Amen Thompson during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Chicago Bulls forward/center Jalen Smith dunks against the Houston Rockets during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Chicago Bulls guard Collin Sexton (2) drives as Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) guards during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) drives against Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) drives to the basket against Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., center right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
NEW YORK (AP) — A jet landing at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport collided with a fire truck on the runway, killing the pilot and copilot and injuring several others. Here’s what you need to know:
The crash occurred around 11:45 p.m. on Sunday when an Air Canada regional jet arriving from Montreal struck an airport fire truck traveling across the runway to respond to a separate incident aboard another plane.
According to air traffic control audio, the pilot of that other plane — United Flight 2384 — reported a “weird odor” was causing flight attendants to feel ill while the plane was waiting to take off. The pilot declared an emergency and requested to return to a gate and for firefighters to respond.
Audio recordings from the airport control tower indicate the truck was initially cleared to cross the runway before a controller tried to pull it back to avoid a collision. The unnamed controller repeatedly told the vehicle to stop and diverted incoming aircraft from landing. He said later in the recording: “I messed up.”
Photos and videos from the crash's aftermath show the jet’s nose crushed and tilted upward, with debris hanging from the mangled cockpit. Stairways used to evacuate passengers were pushed up to the emergency exits and the damaged emergency vehicle lay on its side nearby.
Weather at the time of the crash included moderate winds of about 7 knots and visibility of around 4 miles (6.5 kilometers) with mist and fog conditions, according to Bryan Bedford, head of the Federal Aviation Administration.
The pilot and copilot were the only confirmed fatalities of the roughly 70 passengers and four crew members on board the Jazz Aviation flight, which was operating on behalf of Air Canada.
Their names have not been released by officials, but a family member identified one of them as Antoine Forest of Canada.
About 40 passengers and crew members were also taken to area hospitals, some with serious injuries, the authority said. Most were released as of Monday morning.
Two emergency responders traveling in the fire truck also suffered non-life-threatening injuries. One was expected to be released later Monday, while the other will spend another night in the hospital, according to Kathryn Garcia, head of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport.
Among the survivors was a flight attendant who was thrown from the plane while still strapped in her seat. Solange Tremblay suffered multiple fractures to her leg that require surgery but is miraculously OK, according to her daughter.
LaGuardia was shut down following Sunday’s crash and all air traffic was diverted. It reopened Monday afternoon but with just one runway in operation and significant delays.
The crash and temporary closure were the latest misery for U.S. airports struggling under a partial shutdown over government funding during the busy spring break season.
LaGuardia is a major transit hub — the 19th busiest out of more than 500 airports in the country in 2024, according to the FAA.
Sunday’s crash was the first fatal accident at the airport in more than 30 years, New York officials said.
LaGuardia, named after Depression-era Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, opened to commercial traffic in 1939 and is located in the New York City borough of Queens, some 9 miles (14 kilometers) from Manhattan.
Federal investigators said late Monday it was too soon to answer many questions about the accident but promised more information would be released Tuesday.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, said investigators will analyze the plane’s cockpit and flight data recorders, which were recovered from the wreck undamaged.
She said the runway where the crash happened is likely to be closed for days as investigators sift through a “tremendous amount of debris."
Canada has also sent a team to look into the circumstances of the collision.
Air traffic controllers are not directly affected by the current shutdown, which has lasted more than a month and has caused long lines and frustration among travelers at airports across the country.
Hundreds of Transportation Security Administration agents have called in sick or quit their jobs rather than be forced to work without pay. President Donald Trump, in response, deployed immigration enforcement officers to supplement TSA agents on Monday.
Congress remains deadlocked over approving funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the TSA.
The crash underscores the challenges air traffic controllers have faced in recent years.
Controllers are required to report to work without pay during government funding shutdowns as they are considered essential workers. But some over the years have taken to calling out of work sick in frustration, leading to staffing shortages that cause flight delays.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Monday declined to say how many controllers were on duty at the time of Sunday’s crash, deferring instead to the ongoing NTSB investigation.
But he denied rumors that the tower had only one controller on duty and said LaGuardia is “very well staffed,” with 33 certified controllers and more in training. He said the goal is to have 37 on staff.
Associated Press reporter Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed to this story.
Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo
An Air Canada Jet sits on the runway at LaGuardia Airport, Monday, March 23, 2026, after colliding with a Port Authority aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle after landing in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Firefighters and investigators examine the site, Monday, March 23, 2026, where an Air Canada jet came to rest after colliding with a Port Authority firetruck at LaGuardia Airport, after landing Sunday night in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A Port Authority firetruck lays on its side just off the runway at LaGuardia Airport, Monday, March 23, 2026, after colliding with an Air Canada jet shortly after it landed late Sunday night in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
