• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Gordon's four-point play lifts Bulls over Pistons

Feb 11, 2009 - 6:03 AM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Just when it looked like Red Kerr Night would end in disappointment, the Chicago Bulls got up off the mat for one last push.

Ben Gordon's four-point play with 17 seconds left capped a late comeback and propelled the Bulls to a 107-102 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.

Gordon finished with 24 points to lead the way and Derrick Rose added 23 for the Bulls, who honored legendary announcer Johnny "Red" Kerr at halftime.

"Watching the ceremony at halftime, I knew we had to win this game for (Kerr)," Gordon said.

Chicago trailed, 100-90, with 3:33 remaining before a 9-0 run brought it back to within one with 1:14 to play.

"During the fourth quarter, we just turned it up and we were able to impose our will on them," Gordon said.

Rasheed Wallace hit a pair of free throws to push the lead back to 102-99 before Rose hit a layup and Wallace missed a 3-pointer at the other end, providing the Bulls with their opening.

Rose drove the lane and had his layup attempt hit the rim, but the rookie standout grabbed his own miss and found Gordon in the corner. The sharpshooter nailed the shot and was fouled, draining the free throw to give Chicago the lead for good.

"I was just trying to hit a shot and he fouled me, so then I had to make the free throw to finish it off," Gordon said. "I looked at the scoreboard after I shot because I didn't know if it went in."

"I thought we were very tentative in the first three quarters, then we really turned it on in the fourth quarter," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We never really got into an offensive rhythm all night, but we kept attacking. A good win for us."

Richard Hamilton scored 30 points for the Pistons but turned the ball over with 10 seconds left to squander his team's last opportunity.

"It's really hard to discuss what happened because it hurts so much," Hamilton said. "I thought we played good most of the game, but losing the lead like that and being dominated at the end of the game is something we can't do."

Chicago got strong contributions from frontcourt mates Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah, who combined for 34 points and 26 rebounds.

"We were down and we turned it on in the fourth quarter, everyone just wanted to win and we played solid defense to comeback," Thomas said.

Rose injured himself on the final play when he ran into a screen face-first. He was taken to the locker room as Andres Nocioni was knocking down two free throws to provide the winning margin.

"I think Derrick Rose is all right," Del Negro said. "He just has a little bit of a headache. It wasn't his best performance, he got into foul trouble early and was tentative. The fourth quarter, I told him to start attacking the basket and make things happen."

Detroit took an 85-71 lead into the fourth quarter due to a strong third period by Hamilton and Wallace, who combined for 24 points in the frame.

Wallace finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Pistons, who have dropped back-to-back games while allowing a combined 60 fourth-quarter points.

"We made a lot of mistakes at the end of the game," Detroit coach Michael Curry said. "A couple of times we got lost on pick and rolls."