Bulls 86, Bobcats 81: Luol Deng led the way with 21 points and eight rebounds as Chicago held off visiting Charlotte to pick up its fifth straight win.

Carlos Boozer recorded 12 points and 17 rebounds as the Bulls built up a 54-44 advantage on the glass. Jimmy Butler added 14 points and Derrick Rose had 12 on 4-of-13 shooting as all five starters finished in double figures.

Jeff Taylor scored 20 points off the bench and Gerald Henderson had 16 as the Bobcats dropped below .500 at 5-6. Kemba Walker struggled to eight points on 3-of-14 shooting for Charlotte.

Chicago held a 36-27 lead less than four minutes into the second quarter but made only two field goals the rest of the period and went into the break down 44-40. The Bulls used a 10-2 run to start the third to take back the lead but never managed to gain much separation, leading by as many as seven points in the second half.

Chicago was up 78-73 after Boozer’s basket with 2:27 left before 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions by Taylor and Henderson closed the gap to 80-79 with 1:27 to play. Henderson kept it a one-point game with a pair of free throws but Deng nailed a long 3-pointer as the shot clock was expiring with 27 seconds left and Rose hit a free throw to help seal the win.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Bulls improved to 5-0 at home. … Walker is shooting 24 percent from the field over his last five games. … Bobcats C Al Jefferson (ankle) missed his third straight game.