Bulls 96, Nets 85: Joakim Noah had 21 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots as host Chicago took control late in the first half and coasted past Brooklyn.

Carlos Boozer added 20 points and eight rebounds and Jimmy Butler scored 13 off the bench for the Bulls, who shot 52.1 percent and were never threatened after closing the first half with a 15-0 spurt.

Kirk Hinrich and Nate Robinson scored 12 points apiece as Chicago won its second in a row to move into fifth place in the East - a half-game ahead of the Nets. Brook Lopez paced Brooklyn with 22 points.

The Nets bolted to an early 15-4 lead and were tied at 27-27 after one quarter behind 14 points from Lopez. Brooklyn held its last lead at 39-38 on Joe Johnson's layup with 4:37 to play in the second quarter.

The Bulls followed with the game-breaking run, scoring the final 15 points of the half - including 3-pointers by Daequan Cook, Hinrich and Robinson to take a 53-39 lead into the break. The Nets never got the deficit under 14 points until the final 63 seconds.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Bulls G Richard Hamilton sat out his second straight game due to back spasms and is not expected to accompany the team for Sunday's game at Indiana. ... Brooklyn committed 13 of its 21 turnovers in the first half after turning it over 20 times in Friday's loss to Dallas. ... F Lou Amundson, who was signed to a 10-day contract by Chicago on Friday, did not see action in the blowout.