Boozer Lights It Up As Bulls Beat Thunder
CHICAGO (AP) - Carlos Boozer scored 13 of his 29 points in Chicago's big third quarter and the Bulls beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 99-90 on Monday night.
Luol Deng added 19 points for Chicago, which outscored the Thunder 29-18 in the pivotal third. Derrick Rose had 11 points and nine assists, but shot 3 for 13 from the field.
Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 29 points. Nenad Krstic added 18 points and Russell Westbrook had 15 points and seven assists, shooting 7 for 18.
Boozer got a big free-agent deal from Chicago (11-8) in the offseason, but missed the team's first 15 games with a broken right hand. He appears to be gaining confidence since he returned in Wednesday night's 107-78 loss to Orlando, scoring five, 12 and 25 points in his first three outings before taking down the Thunder.
Boozer and Joakim Noah had 12 boards apiece as Chicago outrebounded the Thunder 52-39 and enjoyed a 19-11 edge in second-chance points.
Rose and Westbrook each had their moments in a matchup of two of the up-and-coming point guards in the NBA.
Westbrook heated up midway through the third, scoring seven points in one nice stretch, but Rose and Boozer powered Chicago to an 82-66 lead entering the fourth.
Boozer made a pair of acrobatic shots in the lane after getting fouled. Rose hit a whirling triple-pump layup, then closed the quarter with a banked 30-footer at the buzzer.
After a tight first quarter, both teams put together runs in the second.
Kyle Korver hit back-to-back 3-pointers during a 13-4 Bulls surge, capped by Deng's 3 that put Chicago up by 11 with 5:09 left in the half.
Oklahoma City responded with an 8-0 run of its own, getting a 3-pointer from Thabo Sefolosha after a Korver turnover and a pull-up jumper from Westbrook.
Chicago led 53-48 at the break.
NOTES: The Thunder recalled rookie c Cole Aldrich from the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League. He averaged 7.8 points and 7.2 rebounds in five games for Tulsa. ... The Thunder won the other matchup between the teams this season, beating Chicago 106-95 in Oklahoma City on Oct. 27.
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