Bulls 104, Spurs 81
Derrick Rose scored 22 points and Pau Gasol added 12 points and 17 rebounds as Chicago rolled past visiting San Antonio.
Taj Gibson contributed 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots to help the Bulls win for only the third time in nine games. Jimmy Butler scored 17 points and Aaron Brooks added 15.
Kawhi Leonard scored all 16 of his points in the first half for the Spurs, who had a four-game winning streak snapped. Patty Mills added 12 points and Cory Joseph had 11.
The Bulls possessed a six-point halftime lead before scoring the first seven points of the third quarter. A 14-2 burst later in the quarter pushed Chicago’s edge to 25 points and the Bulls settled for a 77-60 lead entering the final stanza and led comfortably over the final 12 minutes.
Chicago trailed by one point after the opening quarter before dominating the first six-plus minutes and taking a 37-27 lead on Rose’s 3-pointer. San Antonio pulled within three on Leonard’s 3-pointer with 2:47 led before the Bulls took a 46-40 lead into the break.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Bulls C Joakim Noah (ankle) missed his fourth straight game. … San Antonio shot just 37 percent from the field and was 6-of-21 from 3-point range. … Chicago was 26-of-32 from the free-throw line and Butler made all seven of his attempts.