Rose scores 30, hits 2 late free throws as Bulls beat Magic 101-93 for fourth straight win

Rose scores 30 to lead Bulls over Magic 101-93

CHICAGO — Derrick Rose scored 30 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the Orlando Magic 101-93 on Saturday night for their season-high fourth straight win.

For all the speculation about coach Vinny Del Negro’s job status, the Bulls are playing their best ball of the year. And so is Rose, who finished two points shy of a career high he set against Atlanta last month.

Slowed by an ankle injury early on, he started the new year on the right foot after averaging just over 20 points in December.

Rose scored the final six points of a 20-2 run spanning the second and third quarters that gave Chicago a 13-point lead, and he hit two free throws with 24.5 seconds left in the game to make it 98-93 after J.J. Redick hit a 3-pointer to pull Orlando within three.

The Magic called time, but Matt Barnes missed a lean-in 3-point attempt, and Jameer Nelson clanged another from beyond the arc. Ryan Anderson then had another shot from long range rim out with seven seconds left off an inbound pass, and the Bulls hung on from there.

Barnes did his best to keep Orlando in it, scoring 15 of his season-high 23 points in the third quarter. Anderson added 12, including a 3 that pulled the Magic to 90-85 with just over three minutes left, but Orlando’s stars were all but invisible.