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Banged-up Bulls welcome Wizards to Windy City

Mar 3, 2015 - 2:45 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The hits keep coming for the Chicago Bulls.

After losing former MVP Derrick Rose for a period of time with a knee injury, All-Star Jimmy Butler will be down 3-6 weeks with a Grade 2/3 ulnar ligament sprain and small bone impaction in his left elbow.

But the show must go on and it will Tuesday night when the Washington Wizards come to the United Center.

The Bulls have lost two of the last three, but remain ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Central Division, although the margin is down to just a half- game.

On Sunday, the game Butler went down early in the third quarter, the Bulls fell at home to the Los Angeles Clippers, 96-86.

"This is really tough for us because Jimmy was our leader," said Nikola Mirotic, who led the Bulls with 29 points off the bench.

Pau Gasol returned after missing Friday's win over Minnesota with an illness, but Taj Gibson was out after suffering an ankle injury Friday. Aaron Brooks scored 14, Tony Snell had 13 points and Joakim Noah finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls.

Chicago fell to 3-2 on its seven-game homestand, which culminates Thursday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Wizards halted a six-game losing streak on Saturday with a 99-95 home victory over the Detroit Pistons. Washington has still lost seven in a row on the road.

Bradley Beal and Paul Pierce returned to the Wizards' lineup after injuries. Beal scored eight points, while Pierce chipped in 14 after missing two games.

"I felt good, no pain," Beal told the Washington Post. "Just a little winded at the beginning, but eventually I got my legs up under me. It just feels good overall to be playing in general."

John Wall had 22 points and six assists to lead the Wizards. Nene posted 21 points and seven rebounds, while Marcin Gortat added 16 points and 17 boards for the Wizards, who led by as many as 21 in the third quarter before holding the Pistons off down the stretch.

"There's definitely some more people smiling instead of a bunch of guys sitting around trying to figure out how to get a win," said Wall. "It was a good effort tonight."

The Pistons erased their 21-point deficit following a 15-4 run to start the fourth. Spencer Dinwiddie netted 10 points during the surge, including a putback dunk to give the Pistons an 85-84 edge with 6:48 remaining.

After Dinwiddie drove in for a finger roll with 18.9 seconds left to get Detroit within 96-95, Beal split a pair of foul shots, but Gortat secured the offensive rebound on the second miss.

Wall then sealed the outcome following two free throws with 7.3 ticks on the clock.

The Wizards won two of three meetings this season with the Bulls, including one in Chicago on Jan. 14. Including the postseason, when the Wizards eliminated the Bulls in five games, Washington has taken five in a row in the Windy City.