Bulls 108, Rockets 100
CHICAGO -- Pau Gasol scored 28 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and dished six assists as the Chicago Bulls held on for a 108-100 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
Jimmy Butler scored 24 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in his first game back since injuring his left knee Feb. 5. Derrick Rose scored 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Gasol posted his team-leading 35th double-double of the season as Chicago (31-30) snapped a four-game losing streak.
James Harden led the Rockets with 36 points on 10-for-26 shooting. Corey Brewer added 12 points off the bench. Houston (30-32) lost for the third time in the past four games and fell to 13-18 on the road.
Nikola Mirotic and Rose combined for three straight 3-pointers to open the fourth quarter. The 9-0 run gave the Bulls a 17-point lead with 9:58 remaining in the game. The Rockets rallied to cut the deficit to 104-100 in the final minute before Gasol extended the lead with free throws.
The Bulls entered the fourth quarter with an 83-75 advantage. Harden scored 14 points during the third quarter to keep Houston in contention, but he picked up his fifth foul late in the quarter.
Chicago led 55-43 at halftime after closing the second quarter on a 19-4 run. The Rockets missed all 11 attempts from beyond the arc during the first half and finished 9-for-35 (25.7 percent) from three-point range. Butler led the Bulls with 14 points at the break, including 10 of 11 shooting from the free throw line.
A 17-4 run helped Chicago seize a 29-23 lead at the end of the first quarter. Pau Gasol lobbed an alley-oop pass to Butler for a one-handed slam dunk as the Bulls established an early edge.
Chicago allowed at least 100 points for the 16th consecutive game.
NOTES: Bulls G Jimmy Butler returned to the starting lineup after missing 11 games because of a left knee strain. Chicago went 3-8 during Butler's absence. ... Before Saturday's game, Houston recalled F Sam Dekker, F Montrezl Harrell and G/F K.J. McDaniels from Rio Grande Valley of the NBA Development League. ... Bulls F Nikola Mirotic was available to play for the first time since Jan. 25. Mirotic missed 16 games as he recovered from surgeries to remove his appendix and a hematoma. ... Rockets F Michael Beasley wore No. 8 and was available off the bench one day after signing with the team. Beasley, who was the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2008, recently finished playing a season in the Chinese Basketball Association. ... Bulls F Taj Gibson returned to the starting lineup after missing one game because of an injured right hamstring.