Chicago: Chicago shook off their form slump and made light of the absence of Derrick Rose by beating NBA defending champions Miami 107-87 on Thursday.
In the day’s other games, the Los Angeles Clippers produced a strong second half to overwhelm Memphis and New York beat city rival Brooklyn in a clash of two struggling teams.
Chicago’s Carlos Boozer scored 27 points and Luol Deng had 20 for the Bulls, who took control early and hung on after watching a 25-point lead in the third quarter dwindle to 12 late in the game.
It was an impressive showing by a team that had dropped six of seven and is once again trying to get by without injured star Derrick Rose.
The Bulls shot 50 per cent, were 10 for 19 on 3-pointers and out-rebounded Miami 49-27.
LeBron James scored 21 points for the Heat, which shot a season low for the second straight game, converting 41.6 percent from the field.
Los Angeles reserves Darren Collison and Jamal Crawford scored 15 points each to help lift the Clippers to a 101-81 win over Memphis.
Chris Paul also had 15 points and eight assists for L.A., which shot 13 of 20 in the fourth quarter and was able to rely on the contribution of its bench while resting Paul and Blake Griffin in the fourth quarter.
Kosta Koufos led Memphis with 17 points.
New York’s Carmelo Anthony had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Knicks snapped a nine-game losing skid by beating crosstown rival Brooklyn 113-83 in the teams’ first clash this season.
Iman Shumpert scored a season-high 17 points for the Knicks, who put in probably their most complete performance of a highly disappointing start to the season.
Brook Lopez had 24 points and nine rebounds for the Nets.
