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Toronto holds off Chicago

Feb 24, 2011 - 3:32 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - DeMar DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani each scored 24 points and Toronto withstood a furious onslaught by Derrick Rose to down Chicago, 118-113.

Amir Johnson added 17 points, while Jose Calderon chipped in with six points and 17 assists for the Raptors, who snapped a two-game skid. Leandro Barbosa posted 13 points and Sonny Weems recorded 12 off the bench in the win.

"We needed to win the fourth quarter and that's what we did," said DeRozan.

Rose scored 19 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, dished out 10 assists and made 14-of-16 foul shots, many of them on drive after drive to the basket in the final period. Carlos Boozer added 24 points and six rebounds, while Luol Deng contributed 19 points.

Joakim Noah, in his first game back after missing 30 contests with a right thumb injury, posted seven points and 16 rebounds for Chicago, which saw its four-game winning streak come to an end.

"I felt better. It's not the result I wanted. We have to come with a better edge. It was tough loss tonight," said Noah of his return.

Chicago cut its deficit to 92-91 about 3 1/2 minutes into the fourth period on Ronnie Brewer's free throw, but Toronto continued its offensive efficiency with an 10-3 stretch capped a mid-range jumper by DeRozan and a driving layup by Barbosa off the secondary break.

That is when Rose started taking the game into his own hands. He penetrated and dished off to Boozer for a layup, and a few minutes later, made two foul shots, stole the basketball, was fouled and made two more free throws for a 107-104 deficit with just over two minutes to play. The Bulls point guard attacked then stepped back for a game-tying three, and 45 seconds later tied the contest again on a mad dash to the rim for a lay-in and a 109-109 stalemate.

DeRozan was fouled on the other end, made both, then saw Rose clear out and take the slower Raptors guards off the dribble once more, resulting in another whistle and two more free throws. DeRozan used a ball fake on the baseline to draw a foul on Boozer and made both free throws for the two-point edge, 113-111, with 49.3 ticks to go.

Rose pulled up and missed a jumper from the right wing on the next possession, and Johnson used an up-and-under move to gain the advantage on Boozer and score from in close for a four-point game. Rose missed in congestion, and Toronto made its foul shots down the stretch to ensure victory.

Deng was the Bulls' big weapon in the first quarter, scoring 10 points while Noah came out aggressive with 10 rebounds. The Bulls took a 29-25 lead into the second stanza and increased the margin to 38-30 on two Brewer free throws just over two minutes in. The eight-point lead disappeared to a 43-43 stalemate, but Chicago built back up a seven-point lead, 55-48, on a pair of Boozer free throws. The Bulls took a 58-55 advantage into the locker room.

Toronto was the aggressor in the third period, making all 10 of its foul shots and making 52.6 percent of its shots from the floor, taking an 85-81 lead into the final period.

Game Notes

Brewer scored 11 points in defeat...James Johnson and Ed Davis chipped in with nine points and five rebounds apiece for the Raptors...Toronto made 58.1 percent of its shots, while the Bulls connected on 43.7 percent of their attempts...Chicago had 16 offensive rebounds to four for the Raptors.