The Chicago Bulls defended stingily and stunned the Boston Celtics with a late offensive burst to prevail 89-80 at the United Center on Thursday.
Chicago relinquished a 44-35 halftime lead and trailed briefly at the start of the fourth quarter, before Taj Gibson sparked a 20-11 run to seal the win.
The Celtics were dominant early, opening a 24-18 lead after the first quarter but were repelled in the latter half of the second quarter.
Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer led the Bulls with 23 points each, while Joakim Noah added 15 points with 16 rebounds. Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Rajon Rondo had 17 points.
(Reporting by Mike Mouat in Windsor, Ontario. Editing by Ian Ransom)
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