Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Carlos Boozer posted 28 points and 14 rebounds
as the Chicago Bulls took a 112-106 win in overtime against the Phoenix Suns
at US Airways Center.
Joakim Noah had 21 points, 12 rebounds and five assists while Luol Deng posted
21 points and five rebounds for the Bulls, who bounced back from a loss to
Boston on Monday. Richard Hamilton had 15 points in the win.
"We had some good things going tonight," said Boozer. "We let things slip
away, but we rallied and it's a solid win we grabbed here tonight."
Luis Scola scored 24 points and added 14 rebounds and Sebastian Telfair gave
17 points for the Suns, who have dropped two of their last three. Michael
Beasley and Goran Dragic each had 12 points in the loss.
"We get down 15, 20 points and we got back in the game," said Telfair. "But
that was in front of our fans. You go down by that much on the road, that's
the game."
Following a miss and offensive foul from Phoenix to start overtime, Deng hit a
turnaround jumper and, after a Shannon Brown miss, Boozer was fouled shortly
after grabbing an offensive board and hit both for a 104-100 lead with 3:03 to
play.
Hamilton then hit a jumper after a turnover and Beasley then made one from the
line. Hamilton, though, hit a jumper and, following a Dragic miss, Noah's
driving layup with 1:23 to play made it a nine-point game.
Phoenix then got the next five points, but Noah's jumper with 29.5 to play put
the game away.
Chicago held a six-point lead entering the third quarter and extended it to 11
after Boozer hit a pair of free throws for a 67-56 lead with under six minutes
to play.
After Markieff Morris was fouled on a layup and hit a free throw to make it a
69-61 game, the Bulls took over by scoring the next 10 points, and it was a
79-61 contest after Boozer's basket with three minutes left in the third.
Phoenix scored the next six points and the teams exchanged a basket each, and
Nate Robinson drove for a layup and an 83-69 lead going into the final frame.
Phoenix, though, didn't give in and came roaring back in the fourth quarter as
Chicago went cold.
A 7-0 run followed a bit later by consecutive Suns layups saw it become a one-
point game as Brown's layup made it a 91-90 contest.
After Noah hit a jumper, Telfair buried a 3-pointer from the left side with
3:02 to play.
After trading baskets, Chicago got the next four points, but Brown was fouled
on a layup and put in the free throw with 52.1 seconds left.
Following misses at either end, Hamilton was fouled with 17 seconds left, but
he made just one and P.J. Tucker tied the game with a hook shot with 9.4
seconds left to send the game to overtime as Hamilton's last-second shot was
blocked by Brown.
Chicago led by two points after one quarter, 29-27, and extended it to six
points in the second as the team took a 57-51 lead into the break.
Game Notes
Chicago continues its five-game road trip in LA on Saturday against the
Clippers ... Phoenix plays next in LA on Friday against the Lakers ... Chicago
has won four straight and seven of eight over Phoenix ... Chicago shot 50
percent while Phoenix made 40 percent of its shots.
The Sports Network