Henri Drell, a Small forward/Shooting guard, got 23 minutes' court time with the Bulls in a thrilling 129:127 victory (33:40, 32:22, 33:33, 31:32) in the penultimate game of this season.

The Estonian was instrumental in maintaining that lead in the dying seconds after knocking the ball away as it lingered perilously on the rim following a missed Wizard's shot.

Had it gone in, the match would have been tied.

Drell said post-game: "I'm enjoying this; it's only now really hitting me."

"I can't believe it... I honestly don't remember anything from the game as I was so excited, but I just really love seeing us succeed."

Ahead of the Wizards game, Drell had accumulated only six-and-a-half minutes of NBA playtime, meaning he multiplied time on the court five-fold by the end of Friday night's dramatic encounter.

He has also played for the Bulls' affiliated, second-tier NBA-G team, the Windy City Bills.

On Friday night, Drell scored nine points (making one out of three two-pointers, two out of four three-pointers, and one out of throws free throws in the process), grabbed two rebounds, pulled off two steals, delivered one assist, and blocked one shot as noted.

THROW IT DOWN, DALEN TERRY. @NBCSChicago | @DalenTerry pic.twitter.com/JmK9SW3E6d

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 13, 2024

The Bulls found themselves in a 16-point deficit during the first quarter, but extricated themselves from that it in the second quarter to lead by three points at halftime.

The close battle continued in the second half, with neither team able to pull ahead significantly.

Four minutes before the final buzzer, Drell tied the game with a three-pointer, after which the Bulls took control, remaining ahead to the end.

Henri Drell met him at the apex! @NBCSChicago | @henridrell pic.twitter.com/8xeqKPtzlY

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 13, 2024

The Bulls' final regular season game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. Estonian time on Sunday, when they will face the New York Knicks, again on the road.

They are also a part of the NBA play-in phase, which determines the final two playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, as the Bulls no longer qualify for the playoffs, yet also cannot fall out of the top ten.

Drell, 23, signed with the Bulls last September and, while he was waived the following month, re-entered the team after joining ithe Windy City Bills, making his  full NBA debut on March 14, only the second-ever Estonian to play in the NBA after Martin Müürsepp.

In that game, against the Los Angeles Clippers, Drell scored two points.

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