Wizards 105, Bulls 99
Paul Pierce scored 22 points as visiting Washington defeated Chicago for the second time in six days.
John Wall contributed 21 points and nine assists and Bradley Beal had 17 points and six assists as the Wizards won for the fifth time in six games. Nene had 13 points and eight assists and Marcin Gortat added 11 points and nine rebounds for Washington, which had a 43-33 rebounding edge.
Derrick Rose scored 32 points and made a career-best six 3-pointers for the Bulls, who lost their second consecutive contest. Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol scored 13 points apiece and Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic added 12 points for Chicago, which has lost its last five home games against the Wizards.
Wall scored five points and Pierce hit a 3-pointer to cap a 10-2 burst that gave Washington a 95-85 lead with 4:09 remaining. The Bulls moved within six before Wall hit a 3-pointer and Nene drained a jumper to give the Wizards a 102-91 lead with 1:55 left and Washington protected the lead down the stretch.
Rose hit a halfcourt shot to give Chicago a six-point lead after one quarter and he had 20 points in the half as the Bulls took a 50-44 advantage into the break. Pierce scored 11 points in the third quarter as the Wizards outscored Chicago 32-19 to take a 76-69 lead into the final stanza.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Chicago C Joakim Noah missed the second half after injuring his right ankle. … The Wizards improved to 24-0 when leading after three quarters. … The Bulls were 13-of-27 from 3-point range, while Washington was 5-of-15.