BOSTON—The Bulls let a 20-point lead drop to one before Derrick Rose decided to take control, sore toe and all.The NBA’s reigning MVP knew he had to make the shot after Paul Pierce missed a jumper that would have given the Boston Celtics their first lead.He made the layup, the Celtics missed their next shot, and Rose followed with two free throws. Suddenly, the Bulls led 71-66 with 8:30 remaining and stayed in front by at least five points the rest of the way.Rose had missed Wednesday’s 78-64 win over the Washington Wizards with a sprained left big toe. But he wasn’t fully recovered when he scored 25 points to lead the Bulls to their 10th win in 11 games and an NBA-best 11-2 record.He said he was tentative at first to see how his toe felt but became comfortable midway through the first period.Rose had 12 points after the lead fell to one. Luol Deng had 21 points and 16 rebounds and played outstanding defense on Pierce, who missed nine of 12 shots. Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Brewer scored 12 each and Joakim Noah added 10 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks.Ray Allen scored 16 for Boston and Rajon Rondo had 14 points and 11 assists. Boston lost its third straight game, all at home, and fell to 4-6.The Bulls led 52-33 at halftime and 61-41 on Deng’s jumper from the top of the key with 7:20 left in the third quarter.The Celtics finally came to life, outscoring the Bulls 18-6 to close the gap to 67-59 after three quarters. It was 67-53 with two minutes left before Jermaine O’Neal and Rondo scored on layups and O’Neal made a slam dunk on a feed from Allen.The Celtics kept rolling by scoring the first seven points of the fourth quarter on Garnett’s short turnaround, Allen’s 12-foot bank shot and a 3-pointer by Mickael Pietrus that made it 67-66 and capped a 13-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters.After Pierce missed his shot and Rose scored four straight points, Kevin Garnett responded with a short jumper, but Rose came through again with a 3-pointer for a 74-68 lead with 7:30 remaining.Boston still had a chance at 80-71, but Brewer and Rose fit one field goal each, building the lead to 84-73 with 2:10 to play.The Bulls dominated early and led by their biggest margin of the first half, 19 points, at intermission. They outshot the Celtics 54.1 percent to 33.3 and outrebounded them 31-15.

 NOTES—Boston backup G Keyon Doolingmissed the game with a right knee injury and was expected to sit out Saturday night’s game at Indiana….With 8:38 left in the second period, the Bulls led 30-13 and had made 13 of 24 shots while Boston made five of 26…..Deng had a double-double at halftime with 12 points and 10 rebounds…..The Bulls host Toronto Saturday night at the United Center.

John Lucas III scored a career-high 25 points filling in for injured Derrick Rose and the exhausted Bulls beat the Washington Wizards 78-64 on Wednesday for their third victory in three nights.Lucas, starting for the first time in his 70-game NBA career, was at the point in place of MVP Rose, who was out with a sprained big left toe. Lucas played 45 minutes, had eight assists, eight rebounds and hit 11 of 28 shots.Kyle Korver added 14 points, seven in the final quarter, and Luol Deng had 12 points and 15 rebounds.Jordan Crawford paced Washington, 1-9 and coming off its first win a night earlier against Toronto, with 14 points.The Bulls, holding the Wizards to 32.6 percent first-half shooting, had a 45-37 lead at the half.But John Wall hit a jumper and had a driving basket and Chris Singleton’s jumper capped a 14-4 run to start the third quarter and Washington took a two-point lead. But Lucas connected again from the outside and Taj Gibson had a stuff follow as the Bulls regained a four-point lead headed into the final quarter.Korver scored five straight points for the Bulls to build the lead to nine and the Bulls held on for their 10th win in 12 games.The Bulls beat Detroit on Monday night and Minnesota on Tuesday night.Rose hurt his toe in the first quarter in Minneapolis, but stayed in the game and finished with a season-high 31 points. He sat on the bench Wednesday night and could return in Boston on Friday night.

NOTES—The Bulls became the second NBA team to win all games in a three games in thres days stretch this season.Oklahoma City is the other….Lucas had attempted 39 shots total in the previous seven games he played this season. …. Washington’s Andray Blatche didn’t play because of a sore right shoulder. … Injured guards Richard Hamilton (groin) and C.J. Watson (elbow) also did not play. The Bulls signed veteran guard Mike James for depth. He played the final 40 seconds.

ANN ARBOR—Tim Hardaway Jr. was a bit careless while contesting Alex Marcotullio’s shot, fouling the 3-point shooter with 0.3 seconds remaining in a game Michigan led by three.Marcotullio went to the free throw line and immediately missed — and Hardaway could breathe easy.Michigan was far from perfect Wednesday night, but the 13th-ranked Wolverines were a happy bunch after holding off Northwestern 66-64 in overtime. The Wildcats led by 10 in the second half before Michigan rallied and forced a tense finish. Hardaway scored 19 points and freshman Trey Burke added 19 of his own, including the Wolverines’ final eight.NU is still winless against ranked teams this season as their try for a first ever NCAA Tournament bid keeps slipping away.Hardaway and Burke both played all 45 minutes.Northwestern (11-5, 1-3 Big Ten) trailed 66-63 when Marcotullio was fouled by Hardaway in the right corner. He hadn’t attempted a shot all night and had only six free throw tries on the season. After missing the first, Marcotullio made the second and had to intentionally miss the third. The Wildcats were unable to tip in the rebound.John Shurna also went 45 minutes, scoring 21 points for Northwestern. Drew Crawford added 20.Michigan (14-3, 4-1) shot only 33 percent from the field but had 17 offensive rebounds and forced 16 turnovers.After Burke’s basket put the Wolverines ahead 60-58, officials called a contact technical foul on Michigan’s Jordan Morgan with 2:11 remaining. But Northwestern couldn’t take advantage. Crawford made only one of two free throws, and a miss by Dave Sobolewski gave the Wolverines the ball back.

KALAMAZOO—Hayden Hoerdemann came off the bench to score 18 points as Western Michigan beat Northern Illinois 77-68 on Wednesday night.Nate Hutcheson added 17 points, Matt Stainbrook 16 and Demetrius Ward 11 for the Broncos (7-9, 1-1 Mid-American), who are 6-0 at home. Mike Douglas had eight assists.The Broncos shot 49 percent (24 of 49), including 9 of 23 on 3-pointers.Tim Toler led the Huskies (1-13, 0-2) with 15 points. Abdel Nader scored 14.The Broncos led 34-30 at halftime and pushed it to 55-44 on Stainbrook’s three-point play with 9:51 left. NIU reeled off the next nine points on a 3-pointer by Toler and two free throws each by Marquavese Ford, Zach Miller and Keith Gray to trim it to 55-53 with 7:03 to play.But Western Michigan replied with a 7-1 run, keyed by five points from Hoerdemann, for a 62-54 lead that sealed it.

CHAMPAIGN—Brandon Paul awoke from a nap Tuesday to a text from Illinois coach Bruce Weber. The message was simple: It’s your night.Weber couldn’t have known how right he was.Paul scored a career-high 43 — the third best scoring performance in Illinois basketball history — to lead the Illini (15-3, 4-1) past No. 5 Ohio State 79-74.The most important of Paul’s shots was an off-balance 3-pointer that, with 43 seconds left, gave Illinois a 74-70 lead that all but finished the Buckeyes.By then, the junior said, so many of his shots had fallen he couldn’t help but laugh to himself.

“I was laughing a couple times. After the first couple three’s, I just said I was going to keep shooting,” Paul said, saying he didn’t think he’d ever scored 43, even in AAU ball. “That’s the mindset that I’ve got to have.”

Buckeye coach Thad Matta said Paul’s night — and the Illinois win it guaranteed — was among the best he’s seen anyone have against Ohio State (15-3, 3-2).Paul scored the final 15 points for the Illini.Ohio State led 39-34 at halftime, and was up 64-61 with just over five minutes to play.But with the game tied at 66 with just over two minutes to play, Joseph Bertrand swiped the ball from William Buford, putting the ball in Paul’s hands for a baseline 3-pointer that put the Illini up 69-66. Paul’s 43 points was the third-highest scoring performance in Illini history and he tied a school record with eight 3-pointers. He also had a team-high eight rebounds Leonard added 14 for Illinois and Bertrand and D.J. Richardson scored 10 each. Deshaun Thomas scored 23 points and Jared Sullinger added 21 for Ohio State. William Buford had 15 points for the Buckeyes and Aaron Craft added 12. Ohio State looked ready to put the Illini away early in the second half, stretching its lead to 48-37 in the opening two minutes on an efficient run that yielded nine points over four possessions. The last three points came from Thomas on a jump shot and a free throw. Weber told his team in a huddle that it was a make-or-break point in the game.They go up 10 or 11, and then we came back,” he said.Illinois ran off its own 7-0 run, pulling to with two at 48-46 on a 3-pointer by Richardson. Paul stole the ball from Sullinger, broke down the court and quickly fed his junior teammate. It was the kind of run Illinois was able to answer with all night.Ohio State did pull away yet again, going up 52-46 on a short turnaround jumper by Sullinger over Leonard with 14:25 left in the game.The Illini then scored eight straight, taking the lead 55-54 with a baseline jumper by Leonard with 11:18 to play. The run’s other six points came, not surprisingly, from Paul on a pair of 3-pointers. The second a sky-high bomb that dropped cleanly through the net and ignited the crowd. On Illinois’ next possession, Paul drew what the officials judged to be an intentional foul by Craft, sinking two of his three shots and giving the Illini a 57-54 edge with just under 11 minutes left.Buford answered a long miss by Paul with two points on outside jumper that tied the game again at 61.Then, after a Leonard turnover, he drained a 3-pointer for a 64-61 Ohio State lead with 6:18 to play. Paul had a confounding first half, the kind Illinois fans have gotten used to. He committed four of Illinois’ 10 first-half turnovers (and finished with seven). Paul led the Illini on a 10-0 run that brought them back from a 23-15 deficit to a 25-23 lead. Most of that run came with Sullinger on the bench.Paul’s 3-pointer with 6:23 to play in the half tied the game at 23, and Sullinger quickly left the bench to come back in. Paul, though, followed his game-tying shot up less than a minute later with a bucket that gave the Illini the lead, their first since going up 2-0 less than a minute into the game.Sullinger didn’t score until almost nine minutes were gone in the first half, and was frustrated by a combination of tenacious defense from Leonard and Paul. Sullinger took the hint, moving to the perimeter where he hit two first-half 3-pointers.The second, over a desperate Leonard lunging toward the 3-point line to reach him, gave the Buckeyes a 34-29 lead with 2:19 left in the half.Even with 21 points, Weber said he was happy with defense against Sullinger, particularly from Leonard.

NEWARK—Wearing a bull’s-eye on its back for the first time in 11 years didn’t bother No. 24 Seton Hall in the least.Fuquan Edwin scored 24 of his career-high 28 points in the first half and the Pirates rolled to a 94-73 victory against DePaul on Tuesday night in their first game as a ranked team since 2001.Seton Hall didn’t give DePaul (10-6, 1-3) much of a chance to hit it. Led by Edwin, The Hall opened an early nine-point lead, pushed it into the 20s early in the second half and weathered a minor comeback by the Blue Demons in cruising to a win that allowed coach Kevin Willard to empty his bench.The last time the Pirates were ranked was Jan. 30, 2001, and they went on a five-game losing streak immediately after getting into the poll.Seton Hall made sure that didn’t happen this time with a remarkable first half in which even bad shots and non-shots found the hole.Pope, the Pirates’ power forward, banked in a 3-pointer and raised his hands to his head to show he indeed used the glass.Theodore went one better. Trying to throw a pass off the backboard to Edwin, the ball hit the glass and banked in. Theodore laughed.The most grounded of that group might be Edwin. He is not only scoring but he is the Pirates’ top defensive player.Aaron Cosby added a career-high 15 points for Seton Hall.Brandon Young had 16 points, and Cleveland Melvin and Worrel Clahar 14 apiece for DePaul.The Blue Demons, who have lost three of their past four, trailed by 21 points early in the second half and never got within nine the rest of the way.Edwin hit 9 of 13 shots in the opening half in helping the Pirates take a 17-point halftime lead. He was stuck on his previous career high of 24 until making a 3-pointer late in the second half with his only shot in the final 20 minutes.DePaul used a 15-2 spurt to cut the lead to 68-59 on a two free throws by Melvin with 7:56 to go. After Pope was blocked inside, the Blue Demons had a chance to get within six but Young missed from 3-point range.Theodore took over after that, scoring nine consecutive Seton Hall points to push the lead to 77-61 with 4:46 to play. Pirates coach Kevin Willard eventually cleared his bench.Edwin was the story in the first half, scoring the Pirates’ first eight points and 10 in a game-opening 13-4 spurt. DePaul got within 15-13 but Pope scored seven consecutive points for The Hall in a 12-2 burst and it was never close again. DePaul has lost 33 games in a row to ranked opponents. Its last victory against a ranked team was against Villanova in 2008.

SAN DIEGO—Chase Tapley scored 13 of his 24 points during a 24-3 run in the second half and No. 22 San Diego State overcame a scare to run past winless Chicago State 73-65 on Tuesday night. Jamaal Franklin had seven of his 16 points during the big run for the Aztecs (14-2), who won their seventh straight game to continue the second-fastest start in school history. Franklin also had 10 rebounds.Chicago State (0-16), which played to a 32-32 halftime tie, stunned the Aztecs with a 7-0 run to open the second half. Jeremy Robinson hit an inside bucket and a turnaround jumper, and a slam dunk by D’Jari Nelson had the Cougars celebrating and forced SDSU coach Steve Fisher to call timeout.That woke up the Aztecs, who came racing back with a 10-1 run that gave them a 42-40 lead. Tapley started the run with a layup and two more baskets, and Tim Shelton and Franklin each made a layup as the Aztecs dominated inside. Nelson scored off a rebound to tie it at 42, Chicago State’s last bucket for nearly five minutes.While the Cougars went cold, the Aztecs kept running. Tapley scored seven more points, including on a feed from Shelton off a missed 3-pointer by James Rahon, a three-point play and another layup that gave the Aztecs a 56-42 lead with 9:34 to go.The Aztecs were tested for the first time in five games. They had cruised in their previous four games, beating UC Riverside by 25 points, Elon by 26, Redlands by 51 and San Diego Christian by 31.San Diego State, which shared the Mountain West Conference title with BYU last season, opens league play Saturday at home against preseason favorite and No. 12 UNLV. Matt Samuels scored 17 for the Cougars. Robinson had 14 and Nelson 11. Chicago State is coached by Tracy Dildy, who played at San Diego State from 1985-87. After the Cougars held early leads, San Diego State seemed to take control with a barrage of 3-pointers by Rahon and Tapley. Chicago State slowly reeled it in behind 12 points in the half by Samuels, including a 3-pointer that pulled it within four and a baseline jumper at the buzzer.

MINNEAPOLIS—Derrick Rose looked to be cruising toward a much-needed easy night after a dominant first quarter put the Bulls up big on the Minnesota Timberwolves.Ricky Rubio then made him work for everything he got the rest of the way and may have forced his way into Minnesota’s starting lineup in the process.Rose scored a season-high 31 points and had 11 assists to outlast Rubio in a thrilling duel, leading the Bulls to a 111-100 victory over the Timberwolves on Tuesday night.Luol Deng had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Kyle Korver scored 13 points off the bench for the Bulls, who appeared to be on their way to a blowout early before Rubio led the Wolves back with a 20-2 run at the end of the second quarter.Rubio had 13 points, 12 assists and four rebounds. Luke Ridnour scored 22 points for the Timberwolves, who just couldn’t find an answer for Rose down the stretch.The reigning MVP shrugged off a mid-game shooting slump to score on an explosion to the basket and then knocked down a little one-handed jumper for an eight-point lead with 2:30 to play.The Bulls are in the middle of a stretch of nine games in 12 days.Kevin Love finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds, but his shooting woes continued as he made 5 of 18. Anthony Randolph scored 18 points for the Wolves, who have played contenders Oklahoma City, Miami and the Bulls tough only to lose in the end.The Bulls outrebounded Minnesota 47-30 and Ronnie Brewer scored 17 points to help them to their eighth win in nine games. But Rose was the leader as usual, hitting 4 of 8 3-pointers. That may be happening sooner than later. Wolves coach Rick Adelman used Rubio off the bench through the first 10 games, but with the starting group digging big holes recently, a move could be coming as soon as Friday in New Orleans.Starters Wes Johnson, Darko Milicic and Wayne Ellington all played fewer than 10 minutes on Tuesday night, with Adelman going for the energy of Rubio, Randolph, Anthony Tolliver and Derrick Williams. After the game, for the first time all season, Adelman didn’t rule out a change to the starting lineup.Rubio’s reputation grew when the Spaniard went up against Rose in international play, stripping him on two of the U.S.’ first three trips up the floor in an exhibition game.The two electrifying point guards were neck-and-neck for the final three quarters. Rose had 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting with nine assists and three turnovers in the final 36 minutes while Rubio had 11 points on 5-for-10 shooting with 12 assists, four steals and four turnovers.The Bulls knew the Wolves were playing their third game in three nights, and they came out firing. Rose scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the first quarter and the Bulls hit 20 of their first 29 shots.Rubio was magnificent during the half-closing surge, assisting or scoring on all but two of the 20 points. He set Love up for three 3-pointers, knocked down a jumper and a free throw and threw a one-handed lob to Randolph that sent the sellout crowd into a frenzy.Rubio, Randolph and Tolliver started the second half as well, and Ridnour’s 3 tied the game at 70 with 3:45 to play in the third quarter.The Bulls were able to hold on, and now will play Washington at home on Wednesday night trying to join the Thunder as teams to sweep three games in three nights.

NOTES—Rip Hamilton did not play because of a sore left groin that has kept him out of five of the last six games. C.J. Watson was out with a sprained left elbow….Wolves F Michael Beasley was in a walking boot before the game and said it is uncertain when he will return. He said he still feels some pain when walks, primarily when he is on his tip toes…..Korver went 3 for 3 from 3-point range and has now hit 13 of his last 20 from distance.

Viktor Stalberg scored three goals for his first NHL hat trick and the Blackhawks beat Columbus 5-2 on Tuesday to end a season-high four-game losing streak and spoil the debut of interim Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards.Dave Bolland and rookie Ben Smith also scored.R.J. Umberger and Antoine Vermette had goals for Columbus, which lost its second straight and is 2-9-1 in its last 12.Richards replaced Scott Arniel, who was fired on Monday. The Blue Jackets are 11-26-5, the worst record in the NHL and their worst start since entering the league in 2000-01.Corey Crawford made 32 saves and Stalberg snapped a six-game streak without a point.Smith was recalled from Rockford of the AHL on Monday to replace injured star forward Patrick Sharp, who broke his left wrist in a 3-2 loss to Detroit on Sunday shortly after scoring his 20th goal.Blue Jackets goalie Curtis Sanford stopped 20 shots.Injury-depleted Columbus played without center Jeff Carter and defenseman James Wisniewski, both key offseason acquisitions.Carter, sidelined for 10 games earlier this season, separated his shoulder in a 7-4 loss at Anaheim on Sunday. Wisniewski missed his fifth game with an injured left ankle and is expected to miss several more weeks.Neither team sustained offensive pressure in the scoreless first, although Crawford and Sanford each made a couple of close-in saves.Marian Hossa set up Bolland’s short-handed goal at 4:12 of the second to open the scoring.Hossa stole the puck from Columbus defenseman Nikita Nikitin at center ice, then drove down the right wing boards. He dished to Bolland in the slot, who beat Sanford with a stickhandling move and a shot that clanked in off the right post.Umberger tied it at 1 on a rebound from the edge of the crease at 7:54 after Crawford stopped David Savard’s shot from the point.Stalberg made it 2-1 with 4:31 left in the second. After getting open in the slot, he took Patrick Kane’s feed from behind the net and beat Sanford with a low shot. Stalberg’s second goal, scored during a delayed penalty call at 6:32 of the third, made it 3-1. He flipped a rebound over Sanford’s shoulder after Sanford had blocked Brent Seabrook’s drive from the blue line.Smith extended it to 4-1 just 27 seconds later when he drove down the left wing against Columbus defenseman Marc Methot and backhanded a rising shot over Sanford’s shoulder.Vermette cut it to 4-2 at 8:32 following a scramble in front of the net. He slid in a shot just beyond Crawford’s outstretched right pad.Stalberg completed the scoring on an empty-net goal with 1:40 left to finish his hat trick.

NOTE—Richards coached the Minnesota Wild from 2009-11, compiling a 77-71-16 record..Jonathan Toews went to the dressing room after being struck in the helmet with a deflected shot early in the first, but returned midway through the period…..Daniel Carcillo sat out his fourth game of a seven-game suspension…..Markus Kruger missed his seventh game with a concussion.

Carlos Boozer scored 23 points and the Bulls beat Detroit 92-68 on Monday night for their 13th consecutive victory against the Pistons.Derrick Rose added 22 points and eight assists as the Bulls which bounced back from Saturday night’s lackluster 109-94 loss at Atlanta. Ronnie Brewer finished with 12 points, and Boozer also had eight rebounds.The Bulls improved to 4-1 during their first stretch of nine games in 12 days in 30 years. They play again each of the next two nights, hitting the road to face Minnesota on Tuesday before returning home to face Washington on Wednesday.Greg Monroe had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Detroit, which has lost four straight games. Rookie Brandon Knight scored 13 points, and Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon had 11 points apiece.The Pistons’ last victory over the Bulls was a 95-87 decision at the Palace on Dec. 23, 2008. Detroit also is winless in its last 11 games at the United Center.The Bulls led 68-59 after three and put the game away with an 18-3 run to begin the fourth quarter. Rose had a jumper and an emphatic dunk during the surge.The big fourth-quarter run led to chants for seldom-used reserve Brian Scalabrine from the United Center crowd. He entered with 2:43 left and his fadeaway jumper with 14.6 seconds remaining led to wild ovation and delighted the Bulls’ bench.Detroit closed the first quarter with a 9-0 run to tie it at 21, but the Bulls responded with a 9-0 run of their own. Kyle Korver capped the surge with a 3-pointer after Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko left him open on the wing.The Bulls were upset with their non-defense during the loss at Atlanta, but held Detroit scoreless for the first 5:52 of the second. The Pistons missed their first eight shots of the quarter.The Bulls led by as many as 11 in the first half and it could have been more. Brewer missed an easy putback with 26.9 seconds left and Prince scored on a running layup to trim the lead to 43-34 at the break.The Pistons were without guard Rodney Stuckey (sore groin) and forward Charlie Villanueva (sore right ankle). Stuckey and Villanueva have missed three consecutive games and are day to day.

“Every team has a lot of games and that’s just the reality,” Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said, referring to the truncated schedule stemming from the long NBA lockout. “That’s the reason why guys are getting hurt. There’s a lot of games in a short of time, without the same previous training practices. It happened in the NFL and it happened here. It is what it is.”

The Bulls were still without C.J. Watson, who has a strained left elbow, and former Pistons star Richard Hamilton, who was sidelined again with a sore left groin. The 6-foot-7 Hamilton, the Bulls’ biggest offseason acquisition, has played in just one of the last six games — the road win over the Pistons.

NOTES—F Austin Daye returned to the court after missing Detroit’s previous game with a right ankle injury. …The Bulls are 5-0 this season in the opener of back-to-back contests. … The last time the Bulls played nine games in 12 days was Jan. 26-Feb. 6, 1972. They went 6-3 in that stretch.