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Butler, Boozer lead Bulls over Grizzlies

Dec 31, 2013 - 8:01 AM Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Jimmy Butler had 26 points, Carlos Boozer scored 21 with 10 rebounds and the Chicago Bulls beat the Memphis Grizzlies 95-91 on Monday.

"I sat down with a few of the vets, and they just talked to me and told me to play my game and have fun. When you have fun, everything else takes care of itself," Butler said.

The Bulls snapped a three-game losing streak in the series and won for only the second time in their last nine games in Memphis.

D.J. Augustin added 10 points off the bench for Chicago, which has won three of four, and Joakim Noah scored eight with 10 rebounds.

Mike Conley matched Butler with 26 points and James Johnson scored 13 off the bench for Memphis, which had won three of four coming in on the heels of its season-long five-game losing streak.

"They bottled us up, especially with their size," Memphis head coach Dave Joerger said.

The Bulls trailed 22-17 going into the second quarter and were down 28-20 before a 14-4 run gave them the lead. They scored seven in a row to end the surge, the last four from Taj Gibson on a layup and a dunk that made it 34-32.

Chicago's lead was 46-44 at halftime and 50-46 three minutes into the third quarter before a 16-2 run created some cushion. Butler hit consecutive 3s and scored eight straight points during the burst, which made it 66-48.

Memphis clawed within 71-64 going into the fourth quarter and was as close as one when Augustin hit a 3 to stretch Chicago's lead to four.

Later, a Kirk Hinrich 3 pushed it to 10 with 3 1/2 minutes left and the Grizzlies never got closer than the final margin.

Game Notes

Gibson had nine points ... The Bulls start a four-game homestand Tuesday against Toronto ... Memphis opens a three-game road trip Thursday at Phoenix.