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Deng helps Bulls beat Warriors in overtime

Dec 12, 2009 - 4:58 AM CHICAGO(AP) -- Though it took a few extra minutes against a last-place team, the Chicago Bulls got a much-needed victory.

Luol Deng scored 21 points, Joakim Noah finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds, and the Bulls beat the Golden State Warriors 96-91 in overtime on Friday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

Deng and Derrick Rose had back-to-back baskets to put the Bulls, who never trailed in overtime, up 93-89 with 2:54 left. Deng made another jumper to make it 95-89 with 1:35 left.

The Bulls won for just the second time in 11 games, with the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers next on the schedule.

"It's been rough. Huge win for us. Hopefully this will get us back toward the right track of playing good basketball," said guard Kirk Hinrich, who scored six of his eight points in the fourth quarter and help slow down Monta Ellis.

Ellis finished with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Warriors, who have lost five of six. Ellis was held to 10 of 26 shooting.

"We just made some mental mistakes late in the end and didn't execute well and that was the difference. You've got to execute down the stretch on the road," Warriors guard Corey Maggette said. "It doesn't matter how good a jump shooter you are, you could be the best jump shooter in the world. It's 50 percent. Some nights you might not have it and even when it's going good you still can't rely on it the whole game."

Rose turned it over coming off an inbounds play with 29 seconds left in regulation, but Ellis missed a driving layup attempt with 9 seconds remaining to give Chicago one more chance. Rose missed a 13-footer at the buzzer.

Rose finished with 15 and John Salmons had 11 for the Bulls, who got a much-needed win after two straight embarrassing losses to the New Jersey Nets and the Atlanta Hawks.

With the Bulls trailing 58-52 midway through the third quarter, Deng scored nine points during a 15-0 run. He made a jumper to give the Bulls a 59-58 lead and later capped off the run with a fadeaway jumper to put the Bulls up 67-58.

The lead was quickly erased by the Warriors, who responded with a 12-2 run, highlighted by a drive in the lane by Stephen Curry to give Golden State a 70-69 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Bulls bounced back after a two-point loss Tuesday to New Jersey, which came into Chicago with only one win, then a 118-83 defeat in Atlanta on Wednesday in one of their worst performances of the season.

"We needed a win. Like I said before, it's just the nature," Deng said. "You start losing your confidence, stop believing in yourself and you just want to put an end to that as soon as you can. Even if it's overtime, we got a win. We really fought hard and got it.

"Every game you want to go out there and get a win but with the way we've been playing you feel like you're letting your teammates down ... and coaches down and your fans and we don't like that feeling."

Maggette had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors. Anthony Morrow added 12 points.

"I just said you've got to understand when you have certain guys in areas that can shoot the basketball and you get into the paint, you've got to be willing to give it up at times and I just think we missed a couple of guys in key moments moving the ball to open shooters," acting Warriors coach Keith Smart said.

"We weren't making some of the ones that we had. I always said on the road you've got to try and get to the bonus early and you do that by attacking the basket and we took a lot of jump shots."

The Warriors led 51-44 at the half. Ellis led the Warriors with 18 points. Brad Miller led the Bulls with 12 points, all coming in the first quarter.

NOTES: The Warriors are 1-2 on a five-game road trip without coach Don Nelson, who is recovering from pneumonia.