Bulls 109, Wizards 104
CHICAGO -- Forward Doug McDermott scored all 14 of his points during the second half and the Chicago Bulls outlasted the Washington Wizards 109-104 on Wednesday.
Bulls center Pau Gasol scored 10 points and pulled down 15 rebounds for 32nd double-double of the season. Forward Taj Gibson and guard E'Twaun Moore added 17 points apiece. Chicago (30-26) won its third straight game despite playing without injured guards Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler.
Guard Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 19 points. Guard Garrett Temple contributed 18 points. Guards Ramon Sessions and John Wall added 16 points apiece for Washington (26-30).
An 11-4 run by the Wizards cut the deficit to three points early in the fourth quarter. Chicago responded with an 8-2 run punctuated by back-to-back baskets by McDermott to regain a 101-92 lead with less than five minutes remaining.
The Bulls entered the fourth quarter with an 89-79 advantage. Moore and forward Mike Dunleavy hit back-to-back 3-pointers during a 13-0 run for the Bulls midway through the third quarter. McDermott drove the baseline for a windmill slam dunk over Wizards forward Markieff Morris to increase Chicago's lead to 15 points with 3:06 to go in the third quarter.
Chicago erased a six-point deficit to establish a 57-55 lead at halftime. Gibson converted a trio of three-point plays during the second quarter. Bulls guard Aaron Brooks drove past Wizards center Marcin Gortat for a go-ahead layup before the buzzer.
Washington finished the first quarter on an 11-2 run to seize a 31-28 lead. On the final play of the quarter, Wall fired a pass to Sessions for an open 3-pointer from the left corner.
The Wizards dropped to 10-25 this season when allowing 100 points or more.
NOTES: Bulls PG Derrick Rose did not play because of right hamstring tendinitis. The 26-year-old has missed eight games this season because of injuries to his left ankle, left knee and right hamstring. ... Wizards F Alan Anderson was available to play for the first time this season. Anderson, 33, underwent surgery on his left ankle in October. He averaged 7.4 points per game last season with the Brooklyn Nets. ... Bulls C Pau Gasol started Wednesday despite missing practice Tuesday because of flu-like symptoms. ... Wizards G Gary Neal (right leg) was ruled out before the game. ... Bulls G Jimmy Butler practiced jump shots Wednesday as he recovers from a left knee strain that has sidelined him for the past seven games. "The next step is getting him comfortable exploding on it and obviously moving side to side," coach Fred Hoiberg said.