Bulls 96, Raptors 80
TORONTO -- Forward Luol Deng had 19 points and nine rebounds as the Chicago Bulls defeated the Toronto Raptors 96-80 on Friday night to extend their winning streak to three games.
The Bulls overcame as season-best 37 points by Toronto guard DeMar DeRozan, who equaled his career high.
Forward Joakim Noah added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls and forward Carlos Boozer had 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Guard Jimmy Butler also scored 14 points for Chicago and guard Kirk Hinrich added 12.
Forward Rudy Gay added 20 points and nine rebounds for Toronto. Center Jonas Valanciunas contributed eight rebounds and four points.
Guard Kyle Lowry and forward Tyler Hansbrough had six points each for Toronto and Lowry added eight assists.
The Raptors (4-6), who have lost five of their past seven, were never in the game.
Toronto trailed by 20 entering the fourth quarter, but a 3-pointer by DeRozan cut the lead to 15 with 9:52 to play. Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy promptly answered with a 3-pointer.
Chicago (4-3) began the second half with a 14-point lead but boosted the margin to 20 on Deng's 3-pointer with 8:24 to play in the third quarter. When Butler hit a 3-pointer with 6:57 to play in the quarter, the Bulls led 60-35.
The lead reached as many as 27 points during the quarter, but two 3-pointers by DeRozan cut the deficit to 74-54.
Chicago opened up a 19-point lead with 6:33 left in the second quarter after forward-center Taj Gibson scored on a dunk and a jump shot. The Bulls took a 45-31 lead into the intermission after Hinrich hit one of two free throws to end the half.
Noah had 10 points at the half to lead the Bulls, who shot 44.2 percent from the floor. The Raptors shot 25.6 percent from the floor and were led by Gay and DeRozan with nine points each.
The Bulls led 27-16 after the first quarter as Deng scored nine points and Boozer had eight points and five assists.
NOTES: Bulls G Derrick Rose (right hamstring), who has averaged 20 points and eight rebounds in 20 career games against the Raptors, did not play in Friday night's game, but coach Tom Thibodeau held out hope that Rose could play Saturday against the Indiana Pacers at the United Center. "He's improved, but he's still not quite there," Thibodeau said. ... The Raptors will play six of their next seven games at Air Canada Centre after opening the season playing six of nine on the road. ... Raptors F Steve Novak, who was inactive for six of the first nine games of the season, including the two previous games, was in the lineup on Friday night. ... F Carlos Boozer led the Bulls in scoring in all three games against the Raptors last season, averaging 24.7 points and 11.7 rebounds, but Chicago lost two of the three meetings.
