Wallace helps Bobcats hold off Bulls 83-82

[January 19, 2011]  CHICAGO (AP) -- D.J. Augustin scored 15 points, Gerald Wallace had 13 points and 16 rebounds and the Charlotte Bobcats held off the Chicago Bulls 83-82 on Tuesday night.

Boris Diaw and Stephen Jackson added 12 points apiece to help the Bobcats snap a three-game losing streak, with their last win coming at home against the Bulls last Wednesday.

Derrick Rose scored 33 points to lead Chicago, but missed a shot at the buzzer. Ronnie Brewer had 12 points and Luol Deng added 10 for the Bulls, who were playing without injured forward Carlos Boozer -- second on the team in scoring (20.1 points per game) and rebounds (10.1).

The Bulls got a chance for the win after an official's review gave them ball at their own end. Initially, a deflected ball had been awarded to Charlotte, but the review showed that the ball went off Augustin's fingertips.

After Kyle Korver's driving shot was blocked out of bounds, Chicago got the ball to Rose, who drove the middle of the floor and shot a fadeaway over Charlotte's Gerald Henderson Jr., but missed off the front of the rim.

Wallace was called for a technical foul for tripping Brewer and Kyle Korver made the subsequent free throw to give Chicago a 74-72 lead with three minutes to play.

Wallace apparently hurt his ankle on the play, limping around and grimacing as Korver shot his free throw.

However, Wallace looked fine on a putback dunk that tied the score at 74.

Rose answered with a double-pump drive and layup, putting Chicago back up by two.

Wallace hit two free throws, but Rose answered again, hitting a pull-up jumper with 1:44 to play. Two possessions later, Wallace hit a driving layup in transition and was fouled. His free throw put the Bobcats up 79-78 with 1:13 to play.

After a timeout, Rose scored on a putback to put Chicago up by a point. Jackson answered with a jumper, giving the Bobcats an 81-80 lead with 47.5 seconds to play.

Deng missed a jumper for Chicago and Jackson was fouled. His two free throws put Charlotte ahead by three.

Rose drove and scored on a short runner, cutting the Bulls' deficit to one with 25.2 seconds left.

Rose's 12 points sparked a third-quarter surge for Chicago. His 3-pointer highlighted a 10-2 run that put Chicago up 57-51.

At the time of Rose's 3, the Bulls were 4 for 4 from 3-point range. They finished 6 for 12 from beyond the arc, while Charlotte missed all 13 of its 3-point shots.

The Bobcats were able to hang close well into the fourth quarter thanks to a disparity in turnovers. Charlotte forced 14 Chicago turnovers while committing just nine, and enjoyed a 25-8 edge in points off miscues.

Charlotte shot 60 percent from the floor in the opening quarter and 50 percent for the first half, leading 47-44 at the break.

Augustin scored nine points to lead Charlotte in the opening half. Rose led Chicago with 13 points.

Boozer sprained his left ankle in Chicago's win over Miami on Saturday and is listed as day-to-day. The Bobcats took advantage of his absence, outscoring the Bulls 46-28 in the paint.

Tyrus Thomas returned to action for Charlotte and had eight points and four rebounds against his former team. Thomas, who played his first 3 1/2 seasons with the Bulls before being traded to Charlotte last season, was suspended for the Bobcats' game in Philadelphia on Monday for elbowing New Orleans' Emeka Okafor in the head.

NOTES: Charlotte beat Chicago 96-91 on Jan. 12 and have handed the Bulls their only two losses in the last seven games. ... The Bobcats are 7-5 since Paul Silas replaced Larry Brown as coach on Dec. 22. ... Former Bulls forward Charles Oakley is one of Silas' assistants. He amused himself during the first half by grabbing the shorts of Chicago's Taj Gibson on an inbounds play and holding on when Gibson tried to run down the court.

[Associated Press]

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