CHICAGO — Marc Gasol led all scorers with 23 points to spearhead the Memphis Grizzlies’ 101-91 victory against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night at the United Center.
Gasol’s older brother, Pau Gasol, scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Chicago (39-26), which was his NBA-leading 43rd double-double and tied his career high set in 2010-11 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jeff Green added 19 points, Zach Randolph scored 16 points and Tony Allen finished with 11 points for Memphis (45-18), which hasn’t lost in Chicago since Jan. 1, 2012. Guard Tony Snell led the Bulls with 21 points, rookie forward Nikola Mirotic scored 18 and guard Aaron Brooks added 15 for the Bulls, who played four games in five days and lost the last three.
The road team has now won five straight games in the series.
Memphis scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to build its biggest lead of the game, 78-65. But the Bulls stormed back. Led by Snell, they erased the deficit with a 17-4 run during a 3:05 span.
Snell drilled two 3-pointers in the run and added a dunk. Snell and Hinrich buried 3s following a timeout to give the Bulls an 88-84 lead with 5:58 left to play.
Memphis pulled even 88-88 on a free throw and 3-pointer by Green, and then ran off a 7-0 spurt in the next 2:19 to seize control.
Memphis, which led 41-39 at halftime, hit five of its first six shots to start the second half. The Grizzlies used a 9-0 run early in the third to build a 54-43 lead after a 3-pointer by Green with 7:22 left in the quarter.
Chicago twice cut the deficit to four points, but led by the younger Gasol, the Grizzlies led 73-65 starting the fourth.
Marc Gasol scored 15 points in the third and nipped two Bulls comeback spurts with driving layups, including one he turned into a three-point play after getting fouled.
NOTES: Bulls PG Derrick Rose met with reporters for the first time since undergoing meniscus surgery Feb. 27 to relieve pain in his right knee. Rose said the plan is to return this season, but he won’t come back unless he feels 100 percent healthy. “The way I’m feeling right now, it’s a good chance I’ll come back,” Rose said. “Whenever I’m ready to step back on the court, that’s when I’m going to come back.” … Rose isn’t cleared to jump yet, but he is doing rehab work to strengthen his legs and is able to take shots flat-footed. … Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t have much to update on the status of reserve PF Taj Gibson (ankle sprain). Gibson is still day-to-day. … Grizzlies G Russ Smith and C/F Jarnell Stokes are still on D-League assignments and not with the team.