The Chicago Bulls didn't have an easy time, but they came away with a 107-96 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night. Chicago led for essentially the entire game, but the Kings managed to tie the game for an instant in the second half before drifting away a bit.
Some big early leads gave way for the Bulls, as they got up by as many as 15 on two separate occasions in the first half but ended up leading 60-54 going into halftime. After a pretty tight third quarter, the Bulls were able to hold off the Kings in the fourth just enough to really prevent things from getting too close. Sacramento had some major missed opportunities at the free throw line, as the Kings made just 20 of 34 attempts (59 percent) from the charity stripe.
It was a balanced attack for Chicago on the night, as ten different players scored at least four points. Derrick Rose had a solid night with 19 points and 8 assists, while Richard Hamilton and Carlos Boozer were efficient in adding 16 points apiece. Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver were also effective scoring on the wings, as they combined to score 18 points on perfect 7-for-7 shooting, including 4-for-4 shooting from three-point range, in 18 minutes of play. The Kings were led by Marcus Thornton and Tyreke Evans, who scored a combined 39 points.
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