Late burst lifts Bulls over Magic, 97-83
ORLANDO, Fla. — Derrick Rose and Luol Deng each scored 21 points and the Chicago Bulls held off a fourth-quarter surge by Orlando to beat the Magic 97-83 on Friday night for their sixth straight victory.
Carlos Boozer added 20 points for Chicago, which led by as many as 17 before the lead was trimmed to three. The Bulls closed the game on a 17-6 run.
Dwight Howard led the Magic with 28 points and 15 rebounds.
The Bulls (7-1) are off to their best start since winning 12 of 13 to open the 1996-97 season. The latest victory began a brutal stretch for Chicago that includes seven games in nine nights.
Orlando (5-3) lost at home for the first time this season. It was the Magic's first game against a 2010-11 playoff team since their opener at Oklahoma City.
Rose went through some scoring lulls but kept Chicago's offense on schedule, handing out 10 assists and coming within two rebounds of a triple-double.
The Bulls dominated inside and held a 46-37 rebounding edge. They also had 27 assists.
The Magic bench, which had been playing well this season, was 3 for 15 from the field.
The game featured several momentum shifts in the first three quarters.
The Bulls briefly opened a 17-point lead early in the third before three straight Magic 3-pointers pulled them within 62-54.
That came after Chicago built a 10-point lead at halftime.
The Bulls made their early run even though Rose was held scoreless in the second quarter. Kyle Korver picked up the slack with nine points and Boozer added eight, including a jumper at the halftime horn.
Rose got off to a strong start with 12 first-quarter points.
The Magic jumped out to a 10-2 lead, prompting a quick Bulls timeout. But Chicago responded with a spurt of its own that included six straight points by Rose to tie it at 17.
Orlando regained its footing, outscoring the Bulls 10-9 the rest of the quarter thanks to six points by Howard, who was 6 for 8 in the period with 14 points and five rebounds.
Notes: Bulls G Richard Hamilton suited up but did not play with a sore left groin. ... Magic swingman Quentin Richardson was inactive, recovering from a chemical burn on his ankle after a self-treatment mishap in which he iced his sore ankle with Icy Hot and then applied ice to it. Rookie G DeAndre Liggins also didn't dress after having an allergic reaction to shellfish. ... HBO's "Real Sports" will feature a profile this month on Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and younger brother Jeff, who are sons of a coaching father. Stan said there was "probably not" any doubt they would both become coaches. "I've never really considered anything else," he said. Jeff was a courtside TV analyst for Friday night's game and the former NBA coach's name often comes up when there are coaching vacancies. Asked what he thought Jeff's chances of getting back on the sideline were, Stan said "50-50." ''He likes what he's doing now, but I think he misses it," he said. "I think he misses the competition and the whole process of coaching. So it's certainly possible."