Nets get Bullied

CHICAGO — Doug McDermott scored 25 points and Jimmy Butler added 22 to help the Chicago Bulls beat the Brooklyn Nets 118-102 on Thursday night.

It’s the third straight 20-plus point game for McDermott as Chicago moved a half-game in front of idle Detroit into eighth place and the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Bobby Portis added 12 points and 14 rebounds. The injury-ravaged Bulls raced to a 24-point lead in the second quarter, then held on and finally finished off the lowly Nets, who outscored Chicago 37-24 in the third and closed to within four points early in the fourth. Chicago got a season-high 60 points from its reserves, including McDermott’s output.

Bojan Bogdanovic led the Nets comeback with 26 points, one game after scoring a careerhigh 44 points in Brooklyn’s 131114 victory over league-worst Philadelphia on Tuesday night. Thaddeus Young added 16 points and pulled down 16 rebounds.

HOMECOMING: Brooklyn interim coach Tony Brown is from Chicago and guided the Nets from the bench for the first time in his hometown after being named on Jan. 10.

Brown grew up watching the Bulls, played 10 games for them in 1985-86, and had a contingent of friends and family at the game.

“Obviously it’s full circle for me,” Brown said. “It’s just the culmination of my career so far.”

Oh, Henry: Brooklyn signed C Henry Sims to a 10-day contract on Thursday. Brown called Sims a “quality big guy,” but planned to get him practice time before inserting him in game.

The 6-foot-10 Sims played 73 games last season for Philadelphia.