Bulls 96 - 89 Spurs
Final
  for this game

Bulls hand Spurs rare home loss

Mar 1, 2012 - 6:51 AM

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San Antonio, TX (Sports Network) - Chicago's Derrick Rose scored 29 points in Wednesday's 96-89 road win at San Antonio.

The Spurs entered Wednesday with a 13-1 record at the AT&T Center, but were outscored 21-13 in the fourth quarter to suffer the loss.

C.J. Watson added 12 points while Joakim Noah and Luol Deng had 10 points apiece for the Bulls, who have won four straight and 11 of their last 13 overall.

"We came in and knew it was going to be a hard game," said Rose. "It is like a playoff atmosphere. Their fans are great and our fans also supported us. They have great players and a great coaching staff. We just tried to come out and play a complete game."

Gary Neal scored 21 points and Tim Duncan chipped in 18 and 10 rebounds for the Spurs. They had won 12 of 13 coming in.

The Bulls were up 56-45 in the third when the Spurs reeled off a 15-3 run to go on top.

Duncan was essential during the push, scoring 12 points and knocking down a 19-foot jumper to make it 60-59.

San Antonio held on for a 66-65 lead after three, but Chicago went on top 71-69 early in the fourth on Ronnie Brewer's layup.

The game remained close down the stretch.

A Brewer jumper gave Chicago an 85-79 lead with three minutes to play, but Neal, who scored 15 points in the fourth, responded with a three-pointer, making it 85-82.

Rose kept the Spurs at bay, answering Neal with a contested bank shot, then knocking down an 18-footer after Duncan's bucket.

Neal scored again with a minute left, pulling the Spurs within three, 89-86, but Deng made a three-pointer on the other end to put San Antonio away.

"Down the stretch [the Bulls] showed why they've won all those games," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "They made shots and they were real solid defensively."

Rose was also strong early, scoring 11 first-quarter points, though the Spurs held a 22-20 advantage after one. Buoyed by 10 points from Watson, Chicago outscored San Antonio 30-20 in the second to take a 50-42 lead into the break.

Game Notes

The Spurs' 13-1 home mark matched their best-ever start to a season...The Bulls improved to 15-6 on the road this season...Chicago had lost 10 of its previous 12 visits to the AT&T Center.






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