Bulls 92, Magic 87
CHICAGO -- Forward/center Pau Gasol scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and the Chicago Bulls held on for a 92-87 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night.
Forward Nikola Mirotic scored 16 points and forward Jimmy Butler added 14 points and five assists for the Bulls (3-1), who did not trail after the midway point of the first quarter.
Forward Evan Fournier led the Magic with 19 points. Center Nikola Vucevic scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to register his first double-double of the season. Orlando (0-3) remained winless under first-year coach Scott Skiles.
Both teams struggled from the field. Chicago shot 37.9 percent (33 of 87) and committed 15 turnovers. Orlando shot 38.9 percent (35 of 90) and committed 17 turnovers, including five by Vucevic.
Chicago guard Derrick Rose managed only six points on 2-for-8 shooting. Rose's poor shooting was mirrored by Magic point guard Elfrid Payton, who scored four points on 2-for-7 shooting.
The Bulls led 81-66 with 9:16 left in the fourth quarter before Orlando rallied to cut the deficit to one. Guard Shabazz Napier hit a running jump shot to cap a 16-2 run that pulled the Magic within 83-82 with 3:36 remaining. Chicago regrouped with a 9-5 run to finish the game.
Orlando trailed 75-63 entering the fourth quarter. Fournier made a jump shot and a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to single digits late in the third quarter, but Chicago responded with 3-pointers from Mirotic and forward Tony Snell to regain a 12-point lead.
Chicago established a 54-40 halftime lead after finishing the second quarter on a 17-6 run. Forward Doug McDermott sparked the Bulls with a pair of 3-pointers and a baseline drive. Orlando shot 1-for-8 from beyond the arc during the second quarter and finished the game 7-for-23 (30.4 percent).
Gasol scored eight points in the first 12 minutes to lead Chicago to a 29-26 lead at the end of the first quarter. A 15-4 run put the Bulls ahead by eight points, but the Magic quickly closed the gap with six consecutive points by guard Victor Oladipo and forward Aaron Gordon.
NOTES: Bulls G Kirk Hinrich was sidelined by a toe injury. The ailment is not considered to be serious. ... Magic assistant coach Adrian Griffin greeted Chicago players and broadcasters outside the visitors' locker room before the game. Griffin spent the previous five seasons as a Bulls assistant coach before joining Orlando during the offseason. ... Bulls G/F Mike Dunleavy missed his fourth game because of a back injury. ... Orlando F Aaron Gordon came off the bench for the third consecutive game. However, defending the former Arizona Wildcats standout remained a priority for Chicago. "If you give Gordon any type of downhill run at the ball, he's going to put you on 'SportsCenter,'" Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said.