Raptors 101, Bulls 98: DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points and visiting Toronto started fast and held on to give shorthanded Chicago its second straight loss.

The Bulls played without leading scorer Luol Deng (hip) for the second straight game and fellow All-Star Joakim Noah (foot) for the ninth time in 10 games. Jimmy Butler scored a career-high 28 points for Chicago, which slipped to three games behind fourth-place Brooklyn and is a half-game up on sixth-place Atlanta in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Rudy Gay chipped in 19 points and Terrence Ross had 13 in 18 minutes off the bench for the Raptors, who won for the third time in four games.

Gay and Kyle Lowry had five points apiece as Toronto sprinted to an 18-3 lead in the first five minutes. Gay sparked a 12-0 burst in the third that made it a 16-point game but the Bulls rallied with 10 straight points midway through the fourth and then seven in a row in the final two minutes to set up a wild finish.

After Nate Robinson hit the first of two free throws with 10 seconds left to pull Chicago within 101-98, he missed the second and a jump ball was called on the rebound. Gay won the tap against Carlos Boozer, but the ball bounced free and Robinson recovered it in time to get off a potential game-tying heave from 41 feet out that was off.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Lowry and Amir Johnson also had 13 points for Toronto. Robinson contributed 22 off the bench for Chicago. ... The Bulls made 10-of-17 3-pointers, led by Butler's 3-for-3 effort. They were 27-for-69 inside the arc. ... The teams play again Friday in Toronto.