Bulls Topple Mavericks 82-77
The Chicago Bulls gave the Dallas Mavericks their fifth straight road loss Thursday night. The Mavericks had a one point lead after the first quarter and led by four after the third, but the Bulls didn't get discouraged.
Derrick Rose scored 26 points as the Chicago Bulls beat the Dallas Mavericks 82-77 on Thursday night.
Rose shot 9 for 28 from the field, shouldering a larger-than-usual share of the offensive load in the absence of injured forward Carlos Boozer.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 points to lead Dallas, while Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler and DeShawn Stevenson added 12 points apiece. Stevenson took all 10 of his shots from 3-point range, hitting four.
After Rose's pull-up jumper gave the Bulls an 80-77 lead with 55 seconds to go, Terry missed a tying 3-pointer with 15 seconds to play. Chicago's Kyle Korver then made two free throws to seal the win.
The Mavericks were coming off a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night that snapped a six-game skid.
The Bulls tied the score at 66-all in the fourth quarter as Rose penetrated the lane in transition and hit a twisting, reverse layup.
After a timeout, Nowitzki missed a jumper for Dallas and Chicago's C.J. Watson hit a 3-pointer from the corner, to put the Bulls ahead. Watson added another 3-pointer a couple of possessions later, pushing the Bulls' advantage to four points.
Dallas stayed close, but never led again.
The Mavericks shot just 29.7 percent in the opening half were 4 for 19 from the field in the second quarter. Dallas opened the second half with a 20-8 run and held the Bulls to 12 points in the third quarter, seizing a 60-56 advantage heading into the fourth.
Foul trouble plagued the Bulls in the third quarter, with starting big men Taj Gibson and Kurt Thomas both picking up their fourth foul and finishing the period on the bench.
The Bulls played their third straight game without Boozer, who sprained his ankle in a win over Miami last Saturday.
Gibson started again in Boozer's place and struggled, scoring four points on 2-for-7 shooting.
However, the Bulls still dominated the Mavericks in the paint, outscoring Dallas 28-16 in the lane and holding a 51-41 rebounding advantage.
Thomas, one of the league's oldest players, played 29 minutes and had nine points and 11 rebounds for Chicago. Korver also scored nine points as Rose was the only Bull to reach double figures in scoring.
Luol Deng had seven points on 3-for-13 shooting, but led Chicago with 12 rebounds.
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