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Bulls Hold Off Hornets, 102-97

CHICAGO (AP) -- Jimmy Butler had 27 points, Pau Gasol added 19 points and 13 rebounds and the Chicago Bulls beat the Charlotte Hornets, 102-97, on Friday night.

Nicolas Batum scored 12 of his 28 points in the third quarter and was 5 of 6 from 3-point range for Charlotte. Kemba Walker had 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Charlotte trailed for most of the fourth quarter, but Jeremy Lamb scored eight straight points to pull the Hornets within 88-87 with 5:54 left.

But Butler hit a jumper and made a pair of free throws and Derrick Rose had a driving layup to get the lead up to 94-87 with 4:32 left.

Lamb missed a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left that would have tied it at 100. Butler then iced it with a 22-footer to put the Bulls up 102-97.

Trailing 75-73, the Bulls opened the fourth quarter by outscoring the Hornets 11-2. Tony Snell made a 3 and Taj Gibson scored on a jumper to give the Bulls an 84-77 lead.

Chicago's Joakim Noah and Batum were playing with heavy hearts following the terror attacks in Paris. Noah's dad is French former tennis player Yannick Noah, who won the French Open in 1983. Joakim lived in Paris from 1988 to 1998. He finished with 18 rebounds. Batum, from Lisieux, France, played for the French National team in the 2012 Olympics. A moment of silence was observed before the National Anthem.

TIP-INS: The Hornets played without Cody Zeller, who sprained his left ankle in Wednesday's win over the Knicks. Zeller tried to give it a go, but felt soreness in his ankle during pregame warm-ups. Zeller converted a go-ahead layup with .6 seconds left in the win on Wednesday. ... Noah played after missing Monday's win over Philadelphia with left knee soreness. ... Frank Kaminsky played his first professional game in Chicago. Kaminsky was raised in the western suburbs, played high school basketball at Benet High School in Lisle, Ill. He finished with five points. ... The Hornets were 15 of 33 from 3-point range.

UP NEXT: Charlotte plays host to Portland on Monday night. The Bulls play Indiana on Monday night before beginning a four-game road trip.

(© 2015 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.)

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