CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls forward Tony Snell realized his shot felt good after he drained his initial 3-point attempt in the first quarter.

By the fourth quarter, everybody in the United Center knew Snell was feeling good. The reserve forward scored 16 of his season-high 22 points in the fourth quarter, and the Bulls pulled away for a 104-97 win over the Toronto Raptors on Monday night.

"My teammates tell me all the time: Take my shot," Snell said. "I'm definitely confident that I can make plays down the stretch. I'm just trying to do whatever I can to help the team get the win.

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).

Bench scoring proved to be the difference. The Bulls' bench trio of Snell, guard Aaron Brooks (17 points) and forward Bobby Portis (12 points) combined to outscore Toronto's reserves, 51-27.

That statistic did not sit well with Toronto coach Dwane Casey.

"They were excellent (Saturday) against Milwaukee," Casey said. "The problem with this league is you've got 82 games. We're professionals. We've got to do it every night."

Chicago improved to 12-5 at home and picked up its second win in the past three games. The Bulls are 16-1 this season when limiting opponents to fewer than 100 points.

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.

Rose said he was grateful to the team's reserves. Rose and guard Jimmy Butler combined to shoot nine of 23 (39.1 percent) from the field. Snell, Brooks and Portis shot 20 of 37 (54.1 percent).

"They played great basketball," Rose said. "That was the difference in the game, the way they came out and played. It seemed like they knew where the ball was going, and it looked more organized."

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 Brooks and Portis sparked a 17-6 run. Brooks converted a trio of 3-point plays during the second quarter.

"I just wanted to be aggressive," Brooks said. "In the first half, the defense was playing back a little bit, so I was able to attack. In the second half, they made the adjustment and started blitzing me, so I just wanted to open up and make the easy play."

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. Forward Jonas Valanciunas scored six in the first quarter but managed only three more the rest of the way.

DeRozan said the Raptors could learn from the loss.

"We lost a little bit of our edge," DeRozan said. "The entire first half, we played well. We just need to understand when we play like that, teams are going to pick it up some way, some how. We need to be ready for that."

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.