Dallas,  TX (SportsNetwork.com)  - Taj Gibson netted 20 points and pulled down 
15  rebounds, as  the Chicago Bulls used  a fourth-quarter  surge to  claim a 
100-91  triumph over  the  Dallas  Mavericks on  Friday  at American  Airlines 
Center. 

The Bulls  trailed 85-84  with 5:07 to  play, but Mike  Dunleavy drained a 3- 
pointer  to spark a  10-0 Chicago run that gave the visitors a nine-point edge 
with just 90 seconds remaining. 

Jimmy  Butler  registered 19 points  and seven  boards, while Kirk Hinrich and 
Dunleavy  added  17 and 16  points, respectively, for  the Bulls, who have won 
three straight and eight of their last nine games. 

"I thought we battled back and showed more discipline as the game went along," 
Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We had a lot of guys step up." 

Monta  Ellis  led Dallas with 20  points, while Dirk Nowitzki and Vince Carter 
contributed  15 points  apiece in  the setback,  which snapped  the Mavericks' 
four-game win streak. 

Chicago  didn't  take its first  lead of the contest  until late in the third, 
when  Carlos Boozer capped  a 7-0 sprint with a reverse layup to make it 73-72 
in favor of the Bulls with 2:48 left in the frame. 

Dallas scored the final four points of the third to regain the lead and used a 
7-0  spurt midway  through the fourth to  take an 85-84 lead on Ellis' running 
dunk with just over five minutes left. 

However,  the  Mavs managed  just two  more field  goals the  rest of the way, 
allowing the Bulls to run away with the victory down the stretch. 

"We  were in  front most of the first  half and we let them climb back into it 
with grit, and guts, and rebounding," Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said. 
"Down the stretch we had some good opportunities and made some mistakes, too." 

Early  on, Dallas  drained five 3-pointers and shot nearly 55 percent from the 
floor in the first quarter to build a 32-20 lead after 12 minutes. 

The  Mavs maintained a comfortable cushion for much of the second stanza until 
Hinrich  and Butler  buried consecutive treys to cap a 10-0 surge that brought 
the Bulls within two with 53.9 seconds left in the half. 

Ellis split two free throws to send Dallas into the break with a 54-51 edge. 

                                   Game Notes 

Chicago closed out February 9-4, while Dallas went 9-3 in the month ... Dallas 
scored  18 fastbreak  points, compared to seven for Chicago ... Dallas tallied 
21  points  off 21 Chicago turnovers  ... Chicago shot 50.7 percent (36-of-71) 
from the floor overall.