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Bulls Topple Grizzlies

Lauri Markkanen scored 22 points, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn added 21 apiece, and the Chicago Bulls hung on to hand the Memphis Grizzlies their 15th straight loss, 119-110 on Wednesday night.
 
The Bulls had a 21-point lead whittle to one but came away with their fourth win in 18 games.
 
Dunn scored 11 in the fourth quarter and made four free throws in the final 33.7 seconds to help Chicago come out on top.
 
Justin Holiday added 14 points - going 5 for 5 from the field and nailing four 3-pointers - after the NBA prodded the Bulls to start playing him and Robin Lopez again.
 
Memphis' Dillon Brooks scored 20 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter. Marc Gasol and Ben McLemore added 17 apiece, but the Grizzlies couldn't snap the NBA's longest skid this season.
 
The Bulls led by 21 early in the third quarter and were up by 15 going into the fourth before the Grizzlies went on a run.
 
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Brooks cut it to 94-93. He then nailed a fadeaway jumper after Bobby Portis drove for a layup, making it 96-95 with 6:46 remaining.
 
The Bulls answered with a 10-2 run. Brooks hit a floater and two 3-pointers to pull the Grizzlies back within one with just under three minutes left, but the Bulls hung on.
 
David Nwaba grabbed the rebound after Memphis' Xavier Rathan-Mayes missed a potential tying 3, and Dunn drove for a layup to bump the lead to 113-108 with 1:31 to play.
 
While Lopez sat out his seventh straight game, Holiday made an immediate impact after being held out of five of the previous six. He scored nine points in the game's first 8 1/2 minutes, making all three 3-pointers before Denzel Valentine replaced him.
 
The Bulls visit Detroit on Friday.
 
>>Bulls To Adhere To NBA's Warning
 
Bulls executive vice president John Paxson says the team will no longer rest Robin Lopez or Justin Holliday after receiving a reminder from the league office about player rest and tanking.
 
Paxson says the league communicated with the team after the All-Star break about those two players and their diminishing roles. Lopez has missed the last six games and Holliday five of the last six.
 
Paxson said in a statement to the Chicago Tribune that "after healthy dialogue, the league determined that their situations fall into the 'player rest' policy. We respect the communication and cooperative dialogue with the league and will adhere to their recommendations."
 
The Bulls have the eighth-worst record in the NBA at 21-42. There are five teams tied with 20 wins right behind them, and Chicago would clearly increase their chances of getting a better draft pick in the NBA lottery if they are able to lose a few games.

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