Sacramento hold on to claim win over struggling Timberwolves…
Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter to power his team to a win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.
Jimmy Butler scored 26 for the hosts, Pau Gasol added 17 points, nine rebounds and a career-high nine blocks as the Bulls rejected a franchise-record 18 shots to secure their 11th win in 13 games.
However, their superstar point guard made the difference down the stretch and after struggling over the past two games, Rose managed to find his rhythm just in time to help his team to victory.
“My mentality is not going to change,” he said. “I’m going to shoot the ball. I’m a scoring guard.”
The 26-year-old hit 7-of-25 shots after going 7-for-35 over the previous two games, and it was enough to ensure that Wilson Chandler (22 points), Ty Lawson (20 points) and Arron Afflalo (19 points) were on the losing side.
Kenneth Faried added 18 points and 19 rebounds for the visitors who fall to 13-20 while the Bulls improve to 23-10.
Over in the West, the Minnesota Timberwolves suffered their 10th straight loss despite an inspired comeback against the Sacramento Kings to wipe out a 13-point deficit.
Rudy Gay had 21 points, six rebounds and five assists while DeMarcus Cousins added 19 points and seven rebounds to ensure that the Kings held on to the win with Darren Collison and Derrick Williams also playing pivotal roles.
“We feel good about this win, we needed a win bad, but we’ve got work to do on both ends of the floor,” said coach Tyrone Corbin, who had the interim label removed from his job status Wednesday.
Andrew Wiggins had 27 points and nine rebounds for the hosts but the Timberwolves were unable to take advantage of both Cousins and Gay fouling out in the fourth quarter.
Minnesota slip to 5-26 for the season while Sacramento move to 14-19.
NBA Results
Denver Nuggets 101-106 Chicago Bulls
Sacramento Kings 110-107 Minnesota Timberwolves
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