Rose scores 29 as Bulls beat Thunder 104-98

CHICAGO: The Chicago Bulls let the lead slip away. Derrick Rose wouldn't let the game get away, too.

 

Rose came up big down the stretch to score 29 points and Jimmy Butler added 26 to lead the Bulls to a 104-98 victory over Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.

 

Whether he can consistently play like a superstar still remains in question. But Rose sure looked like his old MVP self as he scored 10 points over the final 3 1-2 minutes to lift the Bulls after they blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.

 

Oklahoma City tied it with just over 5 minutes left in the game. But Rose's performance in the closing minutes helped offset Durant's 33 points and lifted the Bulls after they got blown out at Charlotte two nights earlier.

 

Chicago was clinging to a 98-96 lead when Rose buried consecutive jumpers to make it a six-point game with just over a minute remaining.

 

After Durant hit a jumper, Pau Gasol nailed a sweeping hook with 38.4 seconds left, sealing the win for the Bulls.

 

Rose, still wearing a face mask after missing almost the entire preseason because of a fractured left orbital, found his rhythm after three straight single-digit scoring games. Butler set a career-high with 21 first-half points and hit four 3-pointers in the game, and the Bulls got back to winning after getting squashed by Charlotte 130-105 on Tuesday night.

 

Russell Westbrook had 20 points and 10 assists for Oklahoma City while Serge Ibaka scored 17. But the Thunder, playing their fourth game in five nights, came up short down the stretch again and dropped their third straight. They blew a late eight-point lead in a 105-98 loss to Toronto on Wednesday night.

The Bulls were leading 78-77 early in the fourth when Joakim Noah threw an alley-oop pass to Taj Gibson. That started a nine-point run and Rose finished it by banking in a jumper to make it 87-77 with 8:51 remaining.

 

But the Thunder answered with a 13-3 run. Durant threw down a fastbreak dunk and hit two free throws to tie it at 90-all with just over 5 minutes left before Gasol nailed a jumper.

Quarter by quarter       

 

            Q1       Q2       Q3       Q4       FINAL SCORE

Chicago Bulls                 25         32         19         28         104

Oklahoma City Thunder   28         22         23         25         98

Inside game lets Hornets coast past Mavericks, 108-94

 

DALLAS: The Hornets fittingly turned to an old-school NBA tactic – the post-up game – to record Charlotte’s first NBA victory in Dallas since 1998.

 

Center Al Jefferson scored a season-high 31 points on 15-of-18 shooting and Marvin Williams added 17 points and 12 rebounds as the Hornets pulled away in the second half and beat the Mavericks 108-94 on Thursday night.

 

The victory was the first in Dallas following 11 straight defeats for the franchise that began as the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004-05. The Mavericks had run off 14 straight home wins over Charlotte's two NBA teams since the original Hornets won at Reunion Arena in January 1998.

 

The 30-year-old Jefferson, a Boston Celtics rookie in 2004-05, was not only terrific shooting and rebounding (9) but also served as the hub of the Hornets' entire offense. Charlotte coach Steve Clifford cited the advantages of having an effective post-up game, particularly when defending a lead late.

With Jefferson leading the inside game, the Hornets outscored the Mavericks 58-36 on points in the paint. They out-shot Dallas 51.2 percent to 29.5 in the second half and led by as many as 24 points early in the fourth quarter.

With Jefferson leading the inside game, the Hornets outscored the Mavericks 58-36 on points in the paint. They out-shot Dallas 51.2 percent to 29.5 in the second half and led by as many as 24 points early in the fourth quarter.

        

                                                     Quarter by quarter

                                            

Q1       Q2       Q3       Q4       FINAL SCORE

Dallas Mavericks             23         13         14         27         94

Charlotte Hornets                        27         27         24         30         108

Results: Charlotte Hornets 108 beat Dallas Mavericks 94, Chicago Bulls 104 beat Oklahoma City Thunder 98

Minnesota Timberwolves 84 beat Miami Heat 96, Utah Jazz 96 beat Denver Nuggets 84, Portland Trailblazers 115 beat Memphis Grizzlies 96

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