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Pistons can't solve Bulls, lose in OT

Apr 16, 2012 - 2:51 AM Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - Derrick Rose scored a team-high 24 points and handed out nine assists, and the Chicago Bulls used a dominant overtime period to down the Detroit Pistons, 100-94, on Sunday.

After Thursday's dismal 1-for-13 night from the field against Miami in his return after missing 12 games, Rose connected on 9-of-22 from the floor.

Joakim Noah netted 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds -- 13 on the offensive glass -- while Carlos Boozer had 15 and nine in the victory, the Bulls' third straight and 15th in a row over the Pistons.

"Joakim was unbelievable with his activity, the offensive rebounding, Derrick [had a] huge shot," said Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau. "I thought the defense was pretty good, the rebounding was outstanding."

With the win, Chicago remained 3 1/2 games ahead of the Heat, who won Sunday afternoon, for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Rodney Stuckey paced all scorers with 32 points for the Pistons. Charlie Villanueva had a season-high 13 before being ejected for a flagrant-2 foul on Rose late in the fourth quarter.

"I was a little surprised because I went for the ball," Villanueva said. "It wasn't like I was trying to hit him on purpose or do anything dirty. I went for the ball and they called a flagrant foul."

Boozer opened the scoring in the extra session with a jumper before Stuckey knocked down a three-pointer. After a few missed shots on both ends, Noah gave Chicago back the lead by tipping in Boozer's miss. Boozer pushed the lead to three on the Bulls' next possession with a driving layup.

Stuckey answered with his own bucket before Kyle Korver knocked down a triple and Noah made it 97-91 on a layup. Stuckey hit another three, but with 21.3 seconds remaining Detroit was forced to foul, and Korver and Ronnie Brewer combined to hit 3-of-4 from the line down the stretch to seal the win.

After building a double-digit lead early in the third period, Chicago got complacent and allowed Detroit to chip away. An 18-2 Pistons run gave them the lead at 64-62, and aside from one possession midway through the fourth, they did not trail in regulation from that point forward.

But the Bulls remained within striking distance, and on their final trip down the floor in the fourth quarter, Rose pulled up at the top of the key and drained a game-tying three-pointer with 6.4 seconds on the clock to force overtime. Stuckey missed at the opposite end prior to the buzzer.

Paced by a shooting percentage over 51 percent and 12 points apiece from Noah and Rose, Chicago took a 49-41 advantage into halftime.

Game Notes

Chicago swept the season series 4-0, and Detroit has lost seven in a row at home against the Bulls...There were 11 ties and 12 lead changes...Korver finished with 13 points.