Bulls 107, Celtics 102
D.J. Augustin scored nine of his career-high 33 points in the final 79 seconds as Chicago held off host Boston.
Jimmy Butler scored 15 points and Joakim Noah collected 13 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds for the Bulls, who remained a game behind the Toronto Raptors in the battle for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference. Augustin went 10-of-14 from the field and 10-of-10 from the line while Carlos Boozer had 14 points and Mike Dunleavy and Kirk Hinrich scored 11 points apiece for Chicago.
Rajon Rondo recorded 17 points and 11 assists but turned the ball over six times as the Celtics dropped their fourth straight. Jared Sullinger added 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench and Jeff Green scored 16 points for Boston.
Green’s second 3-pointer in as many possessions knotted it at 96 with 2:13 to play but Augustin responded 54 seconds later from beyond the arc to put the Bulls back on top. Boston turned the ball over and Green missed another 3-point attempt before Rondo was called for an offensive foul, leading to two free throws for Augustin with 34 seconds left that helped put the game away.
Neither team managed to gain much separation in any of the first three quarters and the Bulls took a 78-77 lead into the fourth. The advantage stretched to 84-79 on Noah’s putback with 9:11 left before the Celtics used an 8-2 run to grab back a one-point lead with 6:54 to play.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Chicago had an eight-game streak of holding opponents under 100 points come to an end. … Augustin scored in double figures for the 14th time in 15 games. … The teams meet again Monday night in Chicago for the finale of the three-game season series.