Bulls 102, Hornets 95
Pau Gasol collected 19 points and 15 rebounds and Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler added 15 points apiece as visiting Chicago held on to send Charlotte to its 10th straight loss.
Joakim Noah played through an ankle injury suffered early in the game to finish with 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Bulls, who bounced back a night after a 132-129 double-overtime loss to Dallas. Kirk Hinrich scored 12 points off the bench and rookie Nikola Mirotic added 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Kemba Walker scored 23 points and Lance Stephenson added a season-high 20 to pace the Hornets, who haven't won since Nov. 14. Al Jefferson scored 13 points, Cody Zeller added 12 points and eight rebounds, and Gerald Henderson chipped in 10 points for Charlotte.
Gasol scored the final six points of the second quarter as the Bulls closed the half with an 8-0 burst to pull out to a 45-40 lead. Rose and Butler hit back-to-back 3-pointers to open the third period, and Rose's three-point play capped an 11-3 run that pushed the margin to 13.
Walker heated up to get the Hornets back in it, scoring 17 points during the third quarter as Charlotte closed the gap to 72-71 entering the final period. The Hornets briefly took the lead before Mirotic converted a three-point play and Aaron Brooks hit a 3 during an 8-0 spurt, and Chicago didn't trail again.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Chicago improved to 9-1 when holding opponents under 100 points. … Charlotte dropped to 0-12 when being outrebounded. … Chicago PF Taj Gibson missed his sixth straight game with a sprained left ankle while Charlotte F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (foot) and G Gary Neal (shoulder) remained sidelined.