Bulls 99, Thunder 90
Carlos Boozer scored 13 of his 29 points in the third quarter to allow the Chicago Bulls to pull away and knock off the visiting Oklahoma Thunder 99-90 on Monday.
Luol Deng scored 19 and Kyle Korver added 13 and two three-pointers off the bench for the Bulls (11-8), who will have a chance now to make up some ground in the Eastern Conference. In their next 16 games, they play one just one team with a record better than .500.
Kevin Durant scored 29 points for the Thunder, who fell to 4-1 in the second of back-to-back games this season.
Boozer, playing in just his fourth game since returning from a broken hand, shot 13-of-19 from the floor and added 11 rebounds. His efforts helped Chicago stretch a five-point halftime lead to an 82-66 bulge heading into the fourth. The Thunder didn't get the deficit under double digits until the final minute.
The matchup between great young point guards Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook never materialized. Rose had 11 points and nine assists but did hit a three-pointer from just inside the midcourt line to end the third. Westbrook finished with 15 points and seven assists.
Both players scored 28 points in the season opener, a 106-95 Thunder victory.