A vision of how the 2012 Olympic basketball tournament might look was seen at a sold-out O2 Arena as Great Britain international Luol Deng led the Chicago Bulls to victory in the NBA.

Deng scored a game-high 18 points as the Bulls won 102-101 in a thrilling finish.

Although it was left to James Johnson to hit a buzzer-beating winner long after Deng was confined to the sidelines nursing a long-standing injury, there was no doubt about the star of the show.

And seeing almost 19,000 fans cheering on a basketball game at the 2012 venue had the 24-year-old thinking about what is to come in three years' time.

"It was just unbelievable, looking in the stands and seeing so many people who helped me play basketball, and for them to see me playing in a Bulls jersey," Deng said.

"It's hard not to (start thinking about 2012). As a basketball player there is so much I want to accomplish before the Olympics but it does cross your mind and I definitely can't wait."

This was the third NBA pre-season game in as many years at the O2 but Deng's presence made sure there was no danger of the novelty wearing off, with a heavy dose of Bulls jerseys littered throughout the crowd.

Deng has also ensured this game was as much about promoting Team GB's Olympic campaign as it was about selling NBA jerseys.

Prior to tip-off, NBA commissioner David Stern threw his weight behind GB's bid to land a wild card for next year's World Championships, another crucial stepping stone as the squad learn to compete at the highest level of the game.

"The run-up to 2012 is very exciting for the growth of basketball in Great Britain," Stern said. "Team GB qualified for the EuroBasket and we hope that, in its wisdom, (world governing body) FIBA sees fit to give it a wild card."

FIBA are due to announce in December which nations have been given wild cards for next year's championships, which will be played in Turkey.

Stern also reiterated his commitment to bringing an NBA regular-season game to London in the build-up to the Games to further boost the sport's profile - perhaps as early as next season.

"We're running out of runway a little bit but we still hope to do it," Stern said.

Asked specifically if 2010 was a possibility, he added: "Impossible is nothing. Who knows? We have not set the schedule yet for 2010 so we'll see."

Having had a taste of the home crowd tonight, Deng, for one, would love to be back.

"It's unbelievable to see," he said. "I left for the States when I was 14 but when I was here growing up I don't think an NBA game would have sold out, but now you see so many jerseys in the stands.

"Basketball has just grown so much with a lot of people talking about it and kids paying attention to it.

"You never really thought that NBA games could happen here. It's really amazing."