Dec. 23--The summary
The Bulls surrendered a ridiculous 66 first-half points and trailed by 12 but rallied for a 129-120 victory Monday night at the United Center to snap the Raptors' six-game winning streak. Derrick Rose scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, while Jimmy Butler finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Seven Bulls reached double figures, including Nikola Mirotic, who played all but 41 seconds of the fourth quarter. The Bulls posted a regulation-season high for points and shooting at 54.1 percent. Kyle Lowry's 34 points led Toronto.
Turning point
Leading 80-68, the Raptors endured a scoreless drought of 6 minutes, 8 seconds over the second half of the third quarter as the Bulls responded with a 12-0 run to tie.
Tribune player of game
Butler. He posted his second straight double-double and added five blocked shots.
Big number
17,000. With a second-quarter basket, Pau Gasol surpassed the 17,000-point mark in his career. Gasol finished with 14 points and nine rebounds despite not playing in the fourth.
The quote
"We ask Jimmy to do a lot. He's having a terrific season. Derrick, we know and are hopeful that he gets there. He's making good steady progress. Just string some more games together." -- coach Tom Thibodeau on his backcourt
The quote II
"My teammates always find a way to get me the ball. They make it easy for me." -- Butler
Up next
at Washington, 6 p.m. Tuesday.
