Short-Handed Bulls Lose Third Straight
CHICAGO (AP) -- Marc Gasol scored 23 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past his brother Pau Gasol and the Chicago Bulls 101-91 on Monday night.
Gasol, who started opposite his brother at last month's NBA All-Star game, was 10 of 16 from the field for the Grizzlies. Memphis moved to two games ahead of idle Houston for the Midwest Division lead.
Jeff Green had 19 and Zach Randolph added 16 for the Grizzlies, who held the Bulls to 43.8 percent shooting from the field and improved to 21-11 on the road.
Pau Gasol, Marc's older brother, had 13 points and 11 rebounds for his 43rd double-double to match the career high he set during the 2010-11 season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Unfortunately for the Bulls, that couldn't help them avoid their third consecutive loss, matching a season-high three-game skid.
After Memphis stretched its lead to as many as 11, the Grizzlies entered the fourth with a 73-65 lead as Marc Gasol scored 15 points during the third. The Bulls then tied the game at 82 with 7:10 left when Tony Snell (21 points) stole an errant pass for a breakaway dunk.
Chicago led by as much as four in the fourth but Memphis regained the lead, going up 95-88 with 2:04 left when the Bulls were called for a technical for having six players on the court.
Playing for the fourth time in five nights, Chicago was without former MVP Derrick Rose, All-Star Jimmy Butler (left elbow) and Taj Gibson (left ankle).
Meeting with the media for the first time since undergoing surgery Feb. 27 to repair the torn medial meniscus in his right knee, Rose said his return this season is "the plan, so whenever I feel right, that's when I'm going to step back."
In the meantime, Chicago will have to stay competitive without him and the two other key pieces. That didn't happen Monday, as the Bulls lost ground on idle Cleveland in the Central Division race. With the loss, the Bulls fell a full game behind the Cavaliers (40-25) for the lead.
Nikola Mirotic had 18 for the Bulls, who were coming off a 116-105 loss Sunday to San Antonio when they committed 22 turnovers. And that offense didn't start much better against a Memphis team that entered Monday allowing a league-low 95.6 points per game.
The Grizzlies went into halftime leading 41-39 at the half despite shooting 42.9 percent from the field. They led thanks to forcing 10 Chicago turnovers and holding the Bulls to just 38.1 percent shooting.
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