Bulls 129, Raptors 120
Jimmy Butler recorded 27 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots as host Chicago exploded for a franchise-record 49 points in the fourth quarter to snap Toronto's six-game winning streak.
Derrick Rose returned from a two-game injury absence to score 15 of his 29 points in the final frame for the Bulls, who finished 43-of-47 from the free-throw line. Aaron Brooks tallied 17 points off the bench while Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah each added 14 for Chicago, which shot 54.1 percent from the field.
Kyle Lowry scored a game-high 34 points for the Raptors, who went 23-of-32 from the foul line. Jonas Valanciunas collected 20 points and nine rebounds while Terrence Ross hit a season-high five 3-pointers en route to 17 points for Toronto, which turned the ball over eight times.
Lowry sparked a 12-4 spurt to put the Raptors on top 80-68 before the Bulls turned up the defensive intensity and held Toronto scoreless for over six minutes to even the score at 80. Rose nailed three straight jumpers to hand Chicago a 106-100 advantage and Butler sank two free throws to push the margin to 13 with 1:04 left as the Bulls beat the Raptors for the second time this season.
Ross knocked down his fourth 3-pointer of the first half to put Toronto in front 55-44 before Butler keyed a 12-2 run to trim the deficit to one. Lowry scored six points in the final 35 seconds of the second quarter to give the Raptors a 66-60 lead at intermission.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Bulls went 6-of-12 from 3-point range while the Raptors finished 9-of-30. … Chicago PF Taj Gibson scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury. … Toronto SG Landry Fields missed his second straight game with concussion-like symptoms.