Gasol lifts Bulls over Pistons

Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Pau Gasol's three-point play with 5.7 seconds left helped the Chicago Bulls get past the Detroit Pistons 88-82 on Friday night.

Andre Drummond's personal 4-0 spurt had the Pistons within 83-82 with 30.9 seconds remaining. Taj Gibson missed a jumper for the Bulls, but Gasol was there for the putback slam. Gasol was fouled on the play and made the ensuing free throw to secure the victory.

Gasol ended with 26 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago, which pulled ahead of Toronto for third place in the Eastern Conference after the Raptors' loss to Brooklyn. Jimmy Butler had 18 points.

"We found a way to pull it out," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I was pleased with the effort."

Reggie Jackson tallied 22 points and nine assists for the Pistons, who have lost two in a row. Drummond and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope each contributed 14 points, with Drummond also pulling down 22 rebounds.

"We fought hard to get back in it," Detroit head coach Stan van Gundy said. "We had our chances."

Ahead 37-35, the Bulls scored the final 10 points of the first half. Chicago outscored Detroit by a 22-9 margin in the second quarter.

Gasol scored six straight points early in the third stanza to make it 53-37. However, Detroit made a trio of 3-pointers during a 13-0 run to get within three.

The Pistons tied things up with the final five points of the frame. Anthony Tolliver's 3-pointer and a John Lucas III jumper made it 59-59 heading to the fourth.

Aaron Brooks broke a 78-78 tie with a 3-pointer and then made a layup. But Drummond followed with his personal 4-0 flurry to make it a one-point contest.

Game Notes

Chicago was without Kirk Hinrich (knee) and Doug McDermott (back spasms) ... The Bulls have won five in a row at home ... Chicago won despite shooting just 38.8 percent from the field ... The Bulls went 18-of-21 from the foul line.