Butler helps keep Bulls unbeaten against Nets

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[November 01, 2016]  NEW YORK -- Early in the fourth quarter with the Chicago Bulls headed for a blowout win, the "oohs and ahs" could be heard from segments of fans in the crowd as Dwayne Wade executed a nifty crossover move.

It was Chicago's reward for never letting up after getting off to a quick start.

Wade scored 12 points in his first road game for Chicago as his new team started quickly and remained unbeaten with a 118-88 rout of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.

"I always get great support when I come here," said Wade, who played 39 regular-season games against the Nets with the Miami Heat. "The fans are amazing. It feels like home. I don't know if they cheer like me for that at home when I got the ball. So it was great to be out there."

Chicago did more than enough to ensure Wade's nifty crossover move on Bojan Bogdanovic occurred during garbage time. The move resulted in a layup and the subsequent foul shot, giving Chicago a 98-73 lead and at that point the 12-time All-Star was getting loud ovations from some fans.

"I was that person (a fan) at one point in time," Bulls guard Jimmy Butler said. "That's one person I can check off of my list that I don't have to guard. I think it was great the way that the crowd was cheering for him tonight.

Butler led the Bulls with 22 points in 27 minutes on 6-of-10 shooting. He joked he wasn't impressed until "Wade dunks."

"I had a great crossover," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said to laughs from reporters. "I try to teach him all that stuff."

The Bulls were in position to joke around about Wade's crossover because they did more than enough in the first three quarters. Chicago scored 38 points in the opening quarter, led for the final 45:05 and held a double-digit lead for the final 41:02.

"Our intensity out of the gate has been really good," Hoiberg said.

Besides Butler's efficient night and Wade's crossover move, five others reached double figures for the Bulls, who shot 51 percent and had 26 assists.

Nikola Mirotic collected 16 and 10 rebounds, Isaiah Cannan added 15 as the reserve duo combined to hit seven of Chicago's 11 3-pointers. Taj Gibson added 14 and 11 rebounds, Doug McDermott contributed 12 while Rajon Rondo had 10.

The Nets were handed their first blowout loss under new coach Kenny Atkinson. Brooklyn's first two losses had been by a combined seven points in Milwaukee and Boston but the Nets could not keep pace with their up-tempo opponent.

"They were the more aggressive team," Atkinson said. "I thought they really came out and really got to us. For some reason, we were back on our heels a little bit and they took advantage of that."

Bogdanovic led the Nets with 15 points while Jeremy Lin added 14 and Brook Lopez had 13 in 22 minutes after resting Saturday.

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Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) drives to the basket as Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) defends during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports

"I just think we didn't have that normal pop or that explosiveness or the normal hunger that we normally have on the defensive end, actually just in general," Lin said after the Nets shot 34 percent and made 5 of 27 3-pointers.

Butler, Gibson and Wade combined for 22 points on 11 of 15 shooting as the Bulls sprinted to a 38-20 lead through the first quarter. The Bulls took the lead for good on a basket by Gibson about three minutes in and their opening quarter was highlighted by one sequence with about five and a half minutes left.

Following a missed hook shot by Justin Hamilton, Gibson grabbed the rebound and quickly passed to Rondo. Rondo fed Wade, who hoisted an alley-oop pass to Butler, who completed the sequence with a dunk for a 22-11 lead.

Chicago's lead surged to 20 points and beyond as the Bulls made five 3-pointers and took a 65-44 lead into the break.

One of few highlights for the Nets occurred early in the third when Lopez blocked Wade's layup attempt near the baseline. But typical of how the night went for both teams, Chicago grabbed the rebound and Butler knocked down two free throws for a 71-47 lead.

The Nets briefly cut the lead under 20 with 8:01 left in the third when Lopez wrestled possession away from Wade and converted a layup, forcing Chicago to call timeout.

A few minutes later, Rondo capped a 10-2 run with a nifty reverse layup, giving the Bulls an 81-55 lead and Chicago carried a 93-66 lead into the fourth.

NOTES: Chicago G Michael-Carter Williams exited in the second quarter with Brooklyn G Sean Kilpatrick. Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said Carter-Williams will have further tests and an MRI Tueday. ... Brooklyn G Randy Foye (strained right hamstring) missed his fourth straight game. Foye did some shooting work off to the side during the morning shootaround but has yet to start running. ... Nets G Greivis Vazquez (sore right ankle) sat out after getting hurt Saturday in Milwaukee. Last year he had surgery on the same ankle. ... Monday marked the 14th meeting between twin centers Robin Lopez of Chicago and Brooklyn's Brook Lopez. Robin's teams have won eight of those games.

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