Rookie Derrick Rose had 17 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 102-98 win over the reeling Toronto Raptors on Tuesday.
Rose added 10 assists in one of the freshman's best performances of the season, helping the Bulls (17-22) end a two-game losing streak. Luol Deng added 16 points and 16 rebounds and Andres Nocioni chipped in with 16 points off the bench for Chicago.
The loss spoiled a fantastic night for Raptors centre Andrea Bargnani, who erupted for a career-high 31 points in defeat. Bargnani dazzled the Air Canada Centre crowd of 18,494 with an array of layups, jumpers and three-pointers -- and even added 10 rebounds for good measure in his first showdown with fellow No.1 pick Rose.
Chris Bosh had 25 points while Anthony Parker added 15 and Jamario Moon 11 for Toronto (16-24), which has dropped three in a row.
Trailing 71-68 entering the fourth, the Bulls went on a 9-0 run to open the quarter -- capped by a Rose layup -- to go out in front by six. The Raptors quickly answered with threes from Parker and Will Solomon to trim the deficit to one.
The teams traded the lead for the next four minutes before Ben Gordon's three-pointer moved Chicago ahead 92-90.
