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Bulls use balanced offense to top Pistons

Jan 24, 2013 - 5:48 AM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Jimmy Butler led six Chicago players in double- figures with 18 points to help the Bulls edge the Detroit Pistons, 85-82, on Wednesday.

Butler also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out four assists for the Bulls, who have won five of their last six.

Carlos Boozer scored 16 points, Taj Gibson scored 14, and Nate Robinson and Richard Hamilton each added 11 points in the triumph. Joakim Noah scored 10 points and pulled down a game-high 18 rebounds for Chicago.

Brandon Knight scored 13 points to go with seven assists, Kyle Singler scored 12 points, and Tayshaun Prince and Rodney Stuckey finished with 11 points apiece for the Pistons, who had won two in a row entering the contest.

The Bulls trailed, 70-60, following Singler's layup just over one minute into the fourth quarter, but Robinson scored nine straight points to make it 70-69 nearly two minutes later.

"Nate came in and brought that fire," Noah said of Robinson.

A 10-3 burst, capped with a Butler jumper, put Chicago ahead 79-73 with 4:22 left, but Detroit would score seven straight points to regain the lead with just over two minutes to go.

Butler followed with a triple to give the Bulls an 82-80 edge 16 seconds later, but Jason Maxiell tied the game at 82-82 with 29.4 ticks showing.

Marco Belinelli's three-point play with 7.5 seconds left pushed the lead to 85-82, and Prince and Stuckey each missed a three-point try in the final seconds.

"We just have to play with more discipline and poise down the stretch," Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank said.

The Pistons opened the game on a 12-2 run and took a 23-14 lead after the first 12 minutes.

Detroit pushed its spread to 39-29 with just over four minutes left in the first half before the Bulls were able cut it to 39-35 2 1/2 minutes later.

The Pistons, though, closed the second quarter on an 8-3 swing to take a 47-38 lead into the break.

Detroit outscored Chicago, 21-19, in the third to take a 68-57 lead into the final frame.

Game Notes

The Bulls shot 55.6 percent (10-for-18) from the floor in the fourth quarter and held the Pistons to just 28.6 percent (6-for-21) shooting in the period ... Detroit outscored Chicago, 44-30, in the paint.