CHICAGO – Chicago’s Derrick Rose finished strongly to pull the Bulls away from danger and lead the hosts to a 104-98 win against Oklahoma City on Thursday.
The Bulls blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter but Rose scored 10 of his 29 points over the final 3-1/2 minutes to secure the victory.
Among other games, Miami’s Dwyane Wade was back to his best in a victory against Minnesota, Al Jefferson led Charlotte past Dallas, and Utah pulled away late to defeat Denver.
Oklahoma City tied the scores at Chicago with just over 5 minutes left in the game. But Rose helped offset Kevin Durant’s 33 points and lifted the Bulls.
Chicago was clinging to a 98-96 lead when Rose hit consecutive jumpers to make it a six-point game with just over a minute remaining.
Jimmy Butler added 26 points for the Bulls while Russell Westbrook had 20 points and 10 assists for the Thunder, who lost their third straight.
Miami’s Wade, showing no ill effects from a migraine headache two days ago, scored 25 points to lead the Heat past Minnesota 96-84.
Wade suffered a migraine in the third quarter against Atlanta on Tuesday, but was able to finish the game. He showed no ill effects on Thursday and helped Miami close the first half in a flash.
Chris Bosh had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat.
Shabazz Muhammad had 14 points and six rebounds for the Timberwolves, who shot just 35 percent from the field.
Charlotte’s Jefferson scored a season-high 31 points on 15-of-18 shooting, and had nine rebounds, to guide the Hornets to a 108-94 win against Dallas.
Marvin Williams added 17 points and 12 rebounds as the Charlotte franchise– whether Bobcats or Hornets– won at Dallas for the first time since 1998.
Deron Williams’ 15 points led the Mavericks, who fell away in the third quarter, shooting 22.7 percent and missing all eight 3-point attempts.
Utah’s Gordon Hayward scored 20 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, to guide the Jazz to 96-84 win at Denver.
Rudy Gobert had 16 rebounds for Utah, which outshot the Nuggets 43.5 percent to 38.9 percent.
Danilo Gallinari had 18 points for Denver
Portland’s Damian Lillard scored 27 points, including 14 in the third quarter, to lead the Trailblazers past Memphis 115-96.