Bulls 105, Nets 80
Derrick Rose scored 23 points and Jimmy Butler added 18 as host Chicago sailed past Brooklyn.
Pau Gasol had 16 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots for his seventh consecutive double-double for the Bulls. Mike Dunleavy made four 3-pointers and scored 14 points while Taj Gibson had 11 points, 10 rebounds and tied his career best with six blocked shots.
Deron Williams scored 17 points for the Nets, who were without center Brook Lopez (back) and shooting guard Joe Johnson (stomach virus). Kevin Garnett tallied 13 points and Alan Anderson had 12 for Brooklyn, which lost for the 10th time in 14 games.
Chicago scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter with Nikola Mirotic culminating the burst with a 3-pointer to make it 86-68 with 7:43 left. A basket by Williams moved Brooklyn within 13 with 7:01 remaining before the Bulls ripped off 15 consecutive points to make it 101-73 with 3:16 to play.
The contest was tied at 51 at the break before Chicago controlled a large chunk of the quarter, using a 13-0 burst to take a 66-55 lead on Gasol’s dunk with 5:07 remaining. The Bulls protected the lead and took a 77-68 lead into the final stanza.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Gasol’s double-double streak is his longest since a 10-game in Feb. 2012. … Garnett had two steals to become the 16th player in NBA with 1,800 career steals. He has 1,801. … The win was just the third in eight home games for the Bulls.