Chicago, IL (Sports Network) – Derrick Rose netted 24 points and dished out eight assists to lead Chicago past Cleveland, 92-79, at the United Center.
Luol Deng supplied 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Carlos Boozer contributed 20 points and 10 boards for the Bulls, who have won two in a row and five of their last six.
Antawn Jamison knocked down 12-of-22 shots, including 4-of-7 from three-point range, to pour in a game-high 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the reeling Cavaliers, who have lost 16 in a row.
J.J. Hickson scored 13 points and pulled down a career-high 20 caroms for the visitors, who defeated the New York Knicks on December 18 for their lone win in the last 27 contests.
A Boozer dunk extended the Chicago advantage to 63-43 with 7:20 left in the third quarter before the Cavs started to chip away at their deficit.
Jamison hit two triples and scored eight during a 17-4 surge that trimmed the lead to 67-60. A Rose jumper and Deng trifecta gave the Bulls a 72-62 edge after three.
The visitors sliced the lead to 77-75 on a Jamison jumper with 4 1/2 minutes left but the Bulls responded with the next 11 points to stretch the lead back to 13 two minutes later.
The hosts jumped out to a 12-2 lead halfway through the first quarter before the Cavs closed the gap to two inside the final minute. Deng’s three-pointer with a tenth of a second left gave the Bulls a 22-17 edge.
A Kyle Korver triple stretched the lead to 36-19 with 6:46 to go before the break. Chicago took a 48-38 lead at the intermission, holding the visitors to 12-of-41 shooting (29.3 percent) from the floor in the first 24 minutes.
Game Notes
Rose made 8-of-20 from the floor and committed a game-high five turnovers…Deng was 8-of-15 but knocked down 4-of-5 from beyond the arc as the Bulls made 9-of-19 from long distance…Korver made 3-of-6 from three- point territory and finished with 11 points…Cleveland made just 27-of-84 shots for a miserable 32 percent…Daniel Gibson scored 10 points and handed out five assists in defeat.