Derrick Rose and Kyle Korver each scored 20 points, and the Chicago Bulls turned it on in the fourth quarter to down the Charlotte Bobcats, 101-84.
Bulls vs. Bobcats: Carlos Boozer Injured In Chicago’s 101-84 Win
Joakim Noah ended with 12 points and 13 rebounds for Chicago, whose fourth straight win was sullied by Carlos Boozer limping off the court with an apparent ankle injury in the final quarter.
Boozer, who had 10 points and seven rebounds before the injury, was going in for a layup when Kwayne Brown hit him across the chest, sending him to the floor. Boozer grabbed his leg as soon as he fell to the floor. After he stood up, he limped slowly to the bench.
The Bulls are saying it's an ankle sprain, but the official prognosis won't be announced until tomorrow.
Gerald Henderson paced the Bobcats with 20 points and eight assists in the club's sixth straight loss.
A close game was broken open by the Bulls in the fourth, as Charlotte went the first three minutes without scoring. Two Taj Gibson buckets extended Chicago's lead to 79-69, and a 10-0 run a little later put the game away.
C.J. Watson started the flurry with a three-point play, and Korver made a jumper and three-pointer on consecutive possessions to make it 92-75 with five minutes to go.
The next time down, Boozer went up for a two-handed baseline slam and was greeted at the rim by Kwame Brown, who came down with both hands around Boozer's shoulders and sent him to the ground. Boozer's left leg was caught underneath him as he fell and he was in obvious pain for several minutes.
Boozer gingerly limped back to the locker room, and Korver essentially iced the game with two free throws following Brown’s flagrant foul.
The Bulls never trailed in the first quarter and led 27-24 at its conclusion behind 10 points apiece from Rose and Gibson.
The Bobcats scored the first six points of the second quarter to take their first lead, and the rest of the frame was virtually even, with Korver’s late three giving Chicago a 52-49 halftime edge.
A similarly-played third quarter ended with Rose hitting a jumper and a three- pointer in the final minute to give the visitors a 75-69 advantage.
The teams split the season series...The Bobcats' Stephen Jackson sat out a third straight game with a hamstring issue but is expected to play Friday against Portland...Boozer finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, while Gibson logged 14 points off the bench...Brown posted 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Bobcats, who got 15 points from Dante Cunningham.
For more post-game analysis, visit Chicago blog BlogABull or Charlotte blog Rufus On Fire.
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