Bulls 103, Suns 97
PHOENIX -- Guard Jimmy Butler scored 14 of his season-high 32 points in the fourth quarter, and the Chicago Bulls won their fourth straight game, beating the Phoenix Suns 103-97 Wednesday.
Guard Kirk Hinrich, starting in place of Derrick Rose (sprained left ankle), added 14 points and five assists in 24 minutes for Chicago (8-3).
The Bulls improved to 6-1 in their past seven trips to Phoenix dating back to 2007.
Suns guard Brandon Knight scored 23 points, guard Eric Bledsoe had 21 points and seven assists, and forward P.J. Tucker added 20 points, two shy of his career high. Phoenix (6-5) missed a chance to complete completed a four-game homestand sweep after wins against the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Phoenix rallied from 17 points down in the second quarter and led 88-87 after two Bledsoe free throws with 4:47 left.
However, the Suns went scoreless for four minutes, and the Bulls regained the lead on a dunk by center Pau Gasol and a 3-pointer from Hinrich. Butler then put the game out of reach with a driving layup, a 21-foot jumper and a 3-point dagger with 1:08 left to make it 99-92 Chicago.
Gasol finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. Bulls guard Aaron Brooks had 12 points before leaving the game with a left hamstring injury in the fourth quarter.
Even without Rose, the Bulls put on an offensive clinic in the first quarter. Chicago made 13 of 18 shots (72 percent) and collected 11 assists on the 13 baskets. Butler, Gasol and forward Nikola Mirotic combined for 21 of Chicago's first 23 points and had 24 in the quarter.
Butler led the Bulls with 10 and capped the quarter with a 19-footer with 1:03 left to give Chicago a 31-18 lead entering the second. Tucker had seven for the Suns, who missed 14 of 22 shots while the Bulls exploded.
Chicago expanded the lead to 17 points twice in the second quarter, the last at 42-25 on a Gasol turnaround jumper with seven minutes left. The Suns finally warmed up from the field and responded with a 21-8 run over the last six minutes, with Tucker's layup with 1:19 pulling the Suns back within 48-44.
The Bulls shots 36.4 percent in the quarter (8-for-22) but still led 53-47 at the half.
Chicago stretched the lead back to eight in the third quarter, with Hinrich scoring six points and guard E'Twaun Moore making it 70-62 Bulls on a 12-foot floater with 1:54 left.
The Suns answered with eight straight points, as rookie guard Devin Booker and Bledsoe hit back-to-back 3-pointers before guard Ronnie Price tied the score at 70 on a steal and layup with 51.7 seconds left in the third.
NOTES: Bulls G Kirk Hinrich started in place of Derrick Rose, who is day-to-day with a sprained left ankle. "(Rose) did some tests, some balance work and it's just really still sore," Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said. "We'll take a look at him again tomorrow." ... The Suns were without F T.J. Warren, who sat out due to the flu. He had a career-high 19 points in a win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. ... In the two-plus games F Markieff Morris missed with a left knee sprain, Phoenix went 3-0 and outscored its opponents by a combined 50 points. ... Suns G Brandon Knight recorded his 1,000th rebound Monday in a triple-double effort against the Lakers (30 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists), joining Joe Johnson as the only Phoenix players to collect 4,000 points and 1,000 rebounds before their 24th birthdays.