Bulls 97, Wizards 92
Nikola Mirotic had 23 points and eight rebounds and Aaron Brooks added 22 points and matched a season high with eight assists as host Chicago continued Washington’s road woes.
Pau Gasol had 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Bulls won with guard Jimmy Butler (elbow) joining point guard Derrick Rose (knee) on the sidelines. Joakim Noah contributed 14 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals.
John Wall had 21 points and 11 assists for the Wizards, who equaled a franchise record with their eighth straight road loss. Paul Pierce added 16 points, Bradley Beal scored 13 and Marcin Gortat had 12 points and 12 rebounds as Washington lost for the seventh time in eight games.
Chicago had an 89-79 lead after a 3-pointer by Tony Snell with 4:22 to play before Washington used a 3-pointer by Pierce, a three-point play from Beal and a jumper by Otto Porter Jr. to move within 94-91 with 1:49 remaining. The Wizards managed just one free throw the rest of the way and Gasol made two with 8.5 seconds left to seal it.
Washington led by three points just prior to the midway point of the second quarter before the Bulls ran off nine straight points and went on to hold a 51-44 lead at the break. A 3-pointer by Mirotic pushed the lead to 10 late in the third before Chicago settled for a 74-67 lead entering the final stanza.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Mirotic is averaging 26 points over the past two games. … Beal is 8-of-28 shooting in two games since returning from a leg injury. … Bulls PF Taj Gibson (ankle) missed his second consecutive contest.