• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Bulls down Magic despite Howard's big night

Jan 29, 2011 - 5:21 AM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Luol Deng notched 26 points and Carlos Boozer turned in a 16-point, 16-rebound performance as Chicago got by Orlando, 99-90, at United Center.

"You can't say enough about Luol. He's had an All-Star type season for us. I don't know where we'd be without him," gushed Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau.

Derrick Rose toughed it out despite being diagnosed with two stomach ulcers, and scored 22 points with 12 assists for the Bulls, winners of four straight games and nine of their last 11.

"You can't say enough about that type of attitude," Thibodeau added.

Dwight Howard was a force in defeat, going for a game-best 40 points along with 15 boards, four steals and three blocks for the Magic, who have dropped two of three.

Gilbert Arenas tallied 11 points in a reserve role for Orlando, which had beaten Chicago in three straight games and 13 of 19 coming in.

"We're a different team, they're a different team," Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy said of the supposed rivalry between the teams. "I don't think there's any history that means anything."

The Bulls bolted from the block in the third quarter, rolling up 20 of the first 25 points. Deng's jumper began the burst, then he drained two treys around a Rose three-pointer, and Omer Asik capped the run with a slam for a 66-56 Chicago advantage.

Deng connected on a jumper to close out the period for an 80-68 home team advantage going to the fourth.

Orlando was kept at arm's length until a late run got it within 93-90 on an Arenas lay-in with 1:28 to play. Deng followed at the other end with a bucket, then Deng intercepted an Arenas pass which led to Rose's two from the line with 32.5 to go.

Ryan Anderson and J.J. Redick missed back-to-back treys and Rose connected twice more from the charity stripe to close out the win.

Rose's seven points and a Taj Gibson dunk gave Chicago a slim 24-23 edge after one, but Orlando started to assert itself in the second period.

A Howard finger roll gave the Magic a 48-42 edge with 2:09 left in the half, capping a 12-6 burst. Howard's layup and foul shot sandwiched around a Kyle Korver trey put the Orlando lead at 51-46 at halftime.

Game Notes

Orlando had taken a 107-78 decision in Chicago on December 1...The Bulls improved to 19-9 against the Eastern Conference and 4-3 over Southeast Division foes...Chicago also upped its home mark to 22-4, while Orlando fell to 13-11 on the road...Magic guard Jameer Nelson left the game in the third quarter with a sore right knee.