Bulls 98, Grizzlies 85
CHICAGO -- Jimmy Butler led all scorers with 24 points and Derrick Rose had 19 points and five rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 98-85 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night at the United Center.
The Bulls (15-8) have won four straight games, their second four-game winning streak of the season, and trail the Cleveland Cavaliers by a half-game for first place in the Central Division. Memphis (14-13) had won its past two games.
Along with Butler and Rose, Chicago got double-figures scoring from reserve forward Doug McDermott (17 points) and center Pau Gasol (10 points). McDermott hit 4 of 7 shots from the 3-point line and Gasol collected 14 rebounds for his 13th double-double.
The Bulls got scoring from 10 players, including 33 points off the bench.
Guard Courtney Lee scored 18 points for Memphis, which got double-digit scoring from forward Jeff Green (11 points), forward JaMychal Green (11 points) and forward Zach Randolph (10 points), who grabbed 11 rebounds for a double-double.
Memphis center Marc Gasol finished with eight points and seven rebounds against his older brother.
Chicago led 74-66 starting the fourth quarter and never trailed again after outscoring the Grizzlies 24-13 in the third. The Bulls' starters accounted for 21 points. McDermott provided the only bench points by hitting a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left in the quarter.
McDermott started the fourth quarter with another long 3-pointer to give the Bulls their largest lead to that point at 77-66.
Memphis led 53-50 at the half after overcoming a 46-37 deficit midway through the second quarter with a 12-0 run highlighted by JaMychal Green's five points.
The Bulls' Gasol had eight rebounds at the half but didn't score a point after taking two shots and missing both.
Led by a strong start by Rose, the Bulls led 30-26 after the first quarter. Rose played 8:55 in the quarter and had 10 points and two assists.
Chicago shot 70 percent from the field (14 of 20), but Lee kept the Grizzlies in the game by scoring 13 points. He finished 6 of 7 shooting in the quarter, including a 3-pointer, and had four rebounds and three assists.
NOTES: Memphis coach David Joerger confirmed that F Brandan Wright will have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Thursday. He did not provide a timeline for Wright's return. A Yahoo! Sports report on Wednesday indicated Wright will be out out six to eight weeks. Wright, who signed with the Grizzlies as a free agent last offseason, has played in just seven games. He is averaging 6.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. ... Bulls Gs Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose each started despite feeling sick Tuesday. ... Grizzlies G Jordan Adams missed his 21st game because of right knee soreness and G/F Tony Allen was questionable with a right knee injury. ... Chicago F Mike Dunleavy missed his 23rd game while recovering from preseason back surgery. He hasn't played this season. ... The Gasol brothers, Pau and Marc, played against each other for the 21st time in the NBA. The Bulls' Pau Gasol is 12-9 against the Grizzlies' Marc Gasol, his younger brother.