Bulls 104, Raptors 97
CHICAGO -- Forward Tony Snell scored 16 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, and the Chicago Bulls pulled away for a 104-97 win over the Toronto Raptors on Monday night.
Bulls forward Pau Gasol scored 22 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Guard Derrick Rose contributed 20 points and four assists for Chicago (17-12).
Raptors guard Kyle Lowry led all scorers with 28 points on nine-for-15 shooting. Guard DeMar DeRozan added 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for Toronto (19-13).
Chicago improved to 12-5 at home and picked up its second win in the past three games.
Toronto dropped its sixth consecutive contest against the Bulls. The Raptors have not topped Chicago since Dec. 31, 2013.
Snell helped the Bulls pull ahead by double digits in the fourth quarter. He drove past guard Terrence Ross and forward Luis Scola for a layup to make it 84-74 with 9:22 remaining in the fourth quarter.
On the next possession, Snell made a 3-pointer to increase the Bulls' lead to 87-76.
Chicago entered the fourth quarter with a 78-73 edge. Snell and Rose drilled back-to-back 3-pointers in the final minute of the third quarter to cap a 10-1 run. Lowry kept the Raptors close by hitting a 3-pointer, a layup and two free throws in the first seven minutes of the third quarter.
Toronto led 52-49 after a back-and-forth first half that included three ties and 10 lead changes. The Bulls trailed by as many as nine before guard Aaron Brooks and forward Bobby Portis came off the bench to spark a 17-6 run. Brooks converted a trio of 3-point plays during the second quarter and finished the game with 17 points.
The Raptors finished the first quarter on a 17-7 run to establish a 32-23 lead. Scola made his first six field-goal attempts to account for 12 of Toronto's first 19 points.
NOTES: Bulls F Doug McDermott did not play because of a right knee injury. ... Raptors PF/C Jonas Valanciunas came off the bench Monday after missing the previous 17 games because of a broken bone in his left hand. Toronto coach Dwane Casey said he gradually would increase Valanciunas' workload. "He's had some excellent days of practice, but it's a huge difference to go from practice to real time," Casey said. ... Bulls C Joakim Noah missed his third consecutive game because of a left shoulder sprain. Noah took jump shots during Chicago's Monday morning shootaround but did not participate in contact drills. He will be re-evaluated next week. ... Raptors F DeMarre Carroll returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 5. He recently returned from a knee injury. ... Bulls G Mike Dunleavy (back) missed his 29th consecutive game.