Bulls 101, Bobcats 84
Derrick Rose scored 20 points and the visiting Chicago Bulls moved closer to the top of the Eastern Conference with a 101-84 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night, their fourth straight win.
In clinching a playoff berth, Chicago (45-18) pulled within 1 1/2 games of Boston and handed Charlotte (26-38) its sixth consecutive loss. However, the Bulls lost forward Carlos Boozer to a leg injury late in the game.
The Bulls led, 75-69, entering the fourth quarter and pulled away behind sharpshooter Kyle Korver, who scored 12 of his 20 points in the final period.
The Bobcats had expected Stephen Jackson (hamstring) and Tyrus Thomas (knee) back in the lineup, but both did not play.
Taj Gibson scored 14 points and Joakim Noah had 12 and 13 rebounds for Chicago, which shot 51 percent and held its eighth straight foe below 90 points.
Gerald Henderson had 20 points and eight assists for Charlotte. Dante Cunningham scored 15 points and Kwame Brown added 11 and 11 rebounds.