BULLS HOLD ON TO BEAT WASHINGTON WIZARDS
WASHINGTON: Derrick Rose had 35 points and eight assists and Carlos Boozer scored 18 points as the Chicago Bulls defeated the Washington Wizards 98-88 on Monday at Verizon Center arena.
France’s Joakim Noah finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for Chicago which snapped a modest two- game losing skid.
“They had to trap Drose because he was doing whatever he wanted on the pick- and- roll,” said Noah. “When they started blitzing him, that opened up everything for us. I just tried to put pressure on the defence and make the easy play.”
The Bulls are embarking on a nine- game road trip which they started with a disappointing 97-93 loss to Miami on Sunday.
Guard John Wall had a team-high 20 points and six rebounds and Javale Mcgee finished with 16 points and nine rebounds for Washington who lost for the second time in the last four games.
The Wizards had lost eightconsecutive road games before beating Charlotte Saturday 102-99.
This marked the second time this season and the seventh straight time the first place Bulls had beaten Washington.
Chicago extended their lead to 14 points in the fourth quarter before the Wizards mounted a late charge. Washington pulled to within eight points with one minute left but the Bulls were able to hold on for the victory.
Boozer scored 12 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter while Kyle Korver, finished with 17 points, including five threepointers for Chicago.
“He was great,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said of Korver. “He had a tough matchup too ( Rashard Lewis) where he gave up a lot of size. He battled. His defence was excellent. Hitting threes is huge for us. It spreads the floor for Derrick.
“We had solid contributions from a number of guys.”
Rose had his third consecutive game of 30 points or more.
“He set the tone,” Thibodeau said. “He’s feeling a lot better. He imposes his will on everybody. He made us very aggressive.”