Derrick Rose had 35 points and eight assists, while Carlos Boozer scored 18 points as the Chicago Bulls defeated the Washington Wizards 98-88 on Monday at the Verizon Center.
France’s Joakim Noah finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for Chicago, who snapped a modest two-game losing skid.
“They had to trap DRose because he was doing whatever he wanted on the pick-and-roll,” Noah said. “When they started blitzing him, that opened up everything for us. I just tried to put pressure on the defense and make the easy play.”
Photo: AFP
The Bulls are embarking on a nine-game road trip which they started with a disappointing 97-93 loss to Miami on Sunday.
Guard John Wall had a team-high 20 points and six rebounds, while JaVale McGee finished with 16 points and nine rebounds for Washington, who lost for the second time in the last four games.
The Wizards had lost eight consecutive road games, before beating Charlotte 102-99 on Saturday. It marked the second time this season and the seventh straight time the Bulls had beaten Washington.
Chicago extended their lead to 14 points in the fourth quarter, before the Wizards mounted a late charge. Washington pulled to within eight points with a minute left, but the Bulls were able to hold on for the victory.
Boozer scored 12 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, while Kyle Korver finished with 17 points, including five three-pointers for Chicago.
“He was great,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said of Korver. “He had a tough matchup too [Rashard Lewis] where he gave up a lot of size. He battled. His defense was excellent. Hitting threes is huge for us. It spreads the floor for Derrick.”
Rose had his third consecutive game of 30 points or more.
“He set the tone,” Thibodeau said. “He’s feeling a lot better. He imposes his will on everybody. He made us very aggressive.”
HEAT 109, HORNETS 95
In Miami, Dwyane Wade and Le-Bron James each scored 22 points, while Mike Miller added 14 off the bench as the Miami Heat shook off a slow start to beat the New Orleans Hornets.
James added 11 rebounds and eight assists for Miami, who won for the eighth time in nine games and ended up with six players in double figures. Chris Bosh and Norris Cole each scored 12 for the Heat, while Mario Chalmers added 11.
Miami were down 45-33 midway through the second quarter, but they outscored New Orleans 76-50 the rest of the way.
Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry each scored 14 for New Orleans, who lost for the 17th time in 19 games after a 2-0 start.
Monday’s other results:
‧ Clippers 112, Thunder 100
‧ Mavericks 122, Suns 99
‧ 76ers 74, Magic 69
‧ Timberwolves 120, Rockets 108
‧ Spurs 83, Grizzlies 73
‧ Bucks 103, Pistons 82
‧ Jazz 93, Trail Blazers 89
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