Wade leads Bulls over Magic
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Dwyane Wade scored 21 points and Jimmy Butler had 20, leading the Chicago Bulls to a 100-92 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night at the Amway Center.
Wade missed his first six shots, then hit eight of his next nine to give the Bulls (23-23) a lead in the third period they never lost.
Reserve Cristiano Felicio had 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Doug McDermott scored 12 points, all in the first half.
The Magic (18-29) have lost six of their last seven games. They were led by center Nikola Vucevic with 20 points and eight rebounds. Serge Ibaka had 16 points and eight rebounds. Aaron Gordon and Jeff Gree each had 13 points.
The Bulls led by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter. The Magic, who were hurt by 19 turnovers that became 23 points, never got closer than six points in the final period.
The Bulls led, 78-73, going into the final period after Butler scored their final six points in the third. They led by as many as seven points in the period.
The Bulls led, 52-49, at intermission, riding the hot hands of McDermott and Wade. McDermott hit four of his five 3-point attempts in the second period. Wade, who missed his first six shots of the game, hit his last three shots in the final three minutes before the break. He also had five steals in the first half.
The Magic, who had only 10 players available for the game, led by as many as eight points early. Ibaka had 13 points by halftime and hit all three of his 3-point attempts.
The Bulls made an 8-0 run midway in the second period for a 46-39 lead. The Magic rebounded with a pair of 3-pointers from Ibaka. The Magic were hurt by 10 turnovers in the first two periods.
NOTES: Chicago G Michael Carter-Williams, who had been the starter, was surprised to hear Tuesday that young G Jerian Grant would be taking his spot against the Magic. "I didn't see it coming," Carter-Williams said before the game. ... Magic G Jodie Meeks underwent right thumb surgery Tuesday, putting him out indefinitely. Meeks had dislocated his thumb last week. They also were without G Evan Fournier (heel) and G D.J. Augustin (ankle sprain), leading to a surprise start for F Jeff Green as the shooting guard. ... Magic general manager Rob Hennigan didn't hide his displeasure Tuesday about the team's recent slump, particularly at the defensive end. "I would say we're extremely disappointed and frustrated with our overall defensive performance to date. We are not happy right now with where we are at," he said. ... Bulls G Dwyane Wade isn't happy either about where his team resides -- in the middle of the Eastern Conference standings. "I'm not happy with our record," he said. "But no one on this team is. Some nights we take the approach where we'll do anything to try to get a win. And some nights we just go through the motions."