With Boozer, Bulls rally in NY
- Loading...
CARLOS BOOZER had 29 points and 18 rebounds, Nate Robinson made the go-ahead basket with 22 seconds left, and the visiting Chicago Bulls overcame a 16-point deficit to beat the Brooklyn Nets, 92-90, on Thursday night.
Jimmy Butler had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Luol Deng scored 18 points, and Robinson finished with 12 as the Bulls shook off the absences of five key players to keep Indiana from clinching the Central Division title they've won the last 2 years.
Deron Williams had 30 points and 10 assists for the Nets, who had a disappointing return home from an eight-game road trip. Brook Lopez finished with 28 points, but he had a turnover and two misses in the final minute, including a corner jumper that went in and out that would have forced overtime.
Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson sat out for the Bulls, but coach Tom Thibodeau had optimistic reports about both.
Thibodeau said Rose did everything during the morning shootaround and was getting closer to returning from left knee surgery. Gibson injured his left knee Tuesday at Washington, but Thibodeau said an MRI exam showed it was only a slight sprain; the forward's status is day to day.
Joakim Noah (right foot), Richard Hamilton (lower back) and Marco Belinelli (abdominal strain) also were sidelined.
Rose has been cleared to return for some time after tearing his knee in last year's playoff opener against the Sixers.
In other games *
At Denver, Corey Brewer scored 23 points and got a hand on Anthony Morrow's last-second shot to preserve the Nuggets' 19th straight home win, 95-94 over Dallas.
* At Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook had 27 points and Kevin Durant had 25 as the Thunder pulled away from San Antonio, 100-88.
