Bulls 85, Pistons 82: Jimmy Butler collected 18 points and nine rebounds and Joakim Noah added 10 points, 18 boards and a hustle play that led to the winning basket as host Chicago rallied from a 17-point deficit to win its 17th consecutive meeting with Detroit.
Tied at 82, Noah hustled to save the rebound off Marco Belinelli's miss while tumbling into a row of photographers along the baseline. The ball bounced right back to Belinelli, who slashed to the basket for a bucket and a foul and converted the three-point play. Detroit had two shots to tie it, but Tayshaun Prince and Rodney Stuckey each missed 3-pointers in the final seconds.
Carlos Boozer contributed 16 points and six rebounds and Taj Gibson scored 14 off the bench for the Bulls, who were without leading scorer Luol Deng for a third consecutive game because of a sore hamstring.
Brandon Knight had 13 points and seven assists and Kyle Singler scored 12 for the Pistons, who had a two-game win streak snapped.
The Pistons' lead grew as large as 55-38 early in the third quarter, but the Bulls were able to chip away and Nate Robinson reeled off nine straight points to pull Chicago within 70-69 with nine minutes left.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Chicago has won 13 straight home games against Detroit dating to Feb. 24, 2006. … Detroit PF Jason Maxiell scored six points, giving him 3,000 for his career. … Butler missed his first seven shots from the field before heating up to finish 6-for-14. He has averaged 15.3 points over the past three games, the first three starts of his NBA career.
Detroit | Chicago | |
Brandon Knight 13 | Scoring | Jimmy Butler 18 |
Brandon Knight 7 | Assists | Nate Robinson 7 |
Jason Maxiell 11 | Rebounds | Joakim Noah 18 |
Brandon Knight 5 | Free Throws Made | Jimmy Butler 5 |
Andre Drummond 1 | Steals | Joakim Noah 2 |
Jason Maxiell 2 | Blocks | Taj Gibson 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Detroit | 82 | 41.5 | 4-13 | 10-14 | 20 | 37 | 4 | 6 | 12 |
Chicago | 85 | 43.7 | 3-14 | 20-26 | 21 | 43 | 5 | 5 | 15 |