Huge fourth quarter and return of Rose carries Bulls past Kings to end Circus Trip

 

SACRAMENTO—Derrick Rose’s neck still hurt him. Not that it was apparent on the court.Rose had 30 points, seven assists and seven rebounds for the Bulls, who rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Sacramento Kings 96-85 Saturday night.The Bulls trailed by 13 at halftime, but held the Kings to 28 second-half points, outscoring them 27-9 in the fourth.Rose had a neck injury that forced him to sit out Friday’s game in Denver, a one-point loss.Deng had 22 points and nine rebounds,and Joakim Noah had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls, who concluded their seven-game road trip that started Nov. 16 with a victory in Houston(4-3).Jason Thompson had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Kings, who have lost four straight and 10 of 11. Tyreke Evans had 17 points and nine assists for the Kings.Rose made consecutive baskets on two dazzling drives to the basket and put his team ahead 87-83. Noah followed with two free throws and a fastbreak layup for a 91-83 lead with 2:41 remaining.The Bulls scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter to take a 78-76 lead, but the Kings answered with Greene’s 3-pointer at the 7:40 mark.Sacramento wound up wasting the first halftime lead it had this season. The Kings led 57-44 at the break and were up 76-69 after three.

NOTES—Out with a broken hand all season, Bulls expensive free agent pickup Carlos Boozer is expected to practice for the first time on Monday. … Dalembert missed his first shot of the game, his 16th miss in 17 attempts over a six-game stretch. He made his next six shots. … Kings veteran Francisco Garcia missed his second straight game with the flu.