ORLANDO—At times last season the Bulls were guilty of leaning on MVP point guard Derrick Rose too much to help them pull out wins in close games.If the way they closed out Friday night’s 97-83 victory over Orlando is any indication, coach Tom Thibodeau’s team is well on the way to fixing that problem. Rose and Luol Deng each scored 21 points and they held off a fourth-quarter surge by the Magic for their sixth straight victory.Carlos Boozer added 20 points for Chicago, which led by as many as 17 before the lead was trimmed to three. The Bulls closed the game on a 17-6 run and hung on despite getting just four points from Rose in the final 12 minutes.Dwight Howard led the Magic with 28 points and 15 rebounds, and Jason Richardson broke out of scoring slump with 17. But Ryan Anderson, who coach Stan Van Gundy said “just didn’t get in the battle” against the Bulls and had been leading the team in scoring, went cold, along with the Magic’s reserves.Van Gundy said the Magic, who were playing their first playoff opponent from last season since their season-opening loss at Oklahoma City, aren’t ready to compete with that caliber of team right now.The Bulls (7-1) are off to their best start since winning 12 of 13 to open the 1996-97 season. The latest victory began a brutal stretch that includes seven games in nine nights.Orlando (5-3) lost at home for the first time this season.Rose went through some scoring lulls but kept the offense on schedule, handing out 10 assists and coming within two rebounds of a triple-double.The Bulls dominated inside and held a 46-37 rebounding edge. They also had 27 assists.The Magic bench, which had been playing well this season, was 3 for 15 from the field.The game featured several momentum shifts in the first three quarters.The Bulls briefly opened a 17-point lead early in the third before three straight Magic 3-pointers pulled them within 62-54.That came after the Bulls built a 10-point lead at halftime.The Bulls made their early run even though Rose was held scoreless in the second quarter. Kyle Korver picked up the slack with nine points and Boozer added eight, including a jumper at the halftime horn.Rose got off to a strong start with 12 first-quarter points.The Magic jumped out to a 10-2 lead, prompting a quick Bulls timeout. But Chicago responded with a spurt of its own that included six straight points by Rose to tie it at 17.Orlando regained its footing, outscoring the Bulls 10-9 the rest of the quarter thanks to six points by Howard, who was 6 for 8 in the period with 14 points and five rebounds.With such a tough schedule on tap, Thibodeau said the Bulls won’t put too much stock in Friday’s outcome or dwell on what’s ahead.

NOTES—Richard Hamilton suited up but did not play with a sore left groin….Magic swingman Quentin Richardson was inactive, recovering from a chemical burn on his ankle after a self-treatment mishap in which he iced his sore ankle with Icy Hot and then applied ice to it. Rookie G DeAndre Liggins also didn’t dress after having an allergic reaction to shellfish.