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The Chicago Bulls have as of late had difficulty winning games going into the fourth quarter – especially when they held the lead, evidenced by losses to Charlotte and Philadelphia.? Chicago tonight had a 24-point lead, but unlike previous contests, managed to maintain the lead until the final buzzer, downing the New Jersey Nets 112-96 at United Center.

The Bulls’ Kirk Hinrich drained a jumper at the first quarter buzzer, then hit a trey and another basket?to begin the second quarter, sparking an earlier 12-0 Chicago run for a 34-26 lead; the Bulls outscored the Nets 29-8 in the period – easily New Jersey’s lowest output in a quarter this season – but the Nets’ Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson got their team back in the game, scoring 14 and 13 points, respectively in the third quarter as the Nets reduced their deficit to 11.? but Chicago closed the first half with a 16-0 run to go into halftime leading 58-34.

The Nets went into the third quarter without the services of point guard Devin Harris, who sprained his right ankle with 1:56 left in the second quarter; with the lead slipping a bit, Chicago’s Ben Gordon hit a jumper and Hinrich sank a 3-pointer to start a 15-2 Bulls run that gave them a 94-72 lead.? The Nets would never recover from that run.? Chicago was led by Luol Deng with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot, while Dwight Gooden scored a rather quiet 19 with 11 rebounds, an assist, 3 steals and 4blocked shots.? From off the bench, Gordon added 17 – including 3 treys – with 4 rebounds and 6 assists, while Hinrich provided a solid effort, scoring 14 with 3 rebounds,?and 8 assists.

New Jersey was led by Carter with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots, while Jefferson scored 21 with 2 rebounds, 2 assists but 5 turnovers; Marcus Williams, from off the bench, added 16 with 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.? Chicago (27-40) now flies south to Texas to face the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, while New Jersey (28-39) travels to Atlanta to take on the Hawks Wednesday.