CHICAGO -- Luol Deng and the Chicago Bulls found a way to win, so this ugly game looked just fine to them. Deng scored 21 points and the Bulls overcame a rough shooting night to beat the Charlotte Bobcats 86-81 on Monday for their fifth straight victory. "As I told our guys, it got choppy, particularly in the second quarter, and they do that to you. Theyre very good defensively," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I thought in the second half we did a better job of getting the ball to the second side, which you have to do." Carlos Boozer had 12 points and 17 rebounds for Chicago, which is on its longest winning streak since taking eight in a row from Feb. 20-March 7, 2012. Jimmy Butler had 14 points and Derrick Rose finished with 12. Dengs 3-pointer with 27.1 seconds remaining gave the Bulls an 85-81 lead. Gerald Henderson then missed for the Bobcats, and Rose had a free throw to help Chicago wrap it up. The Bulls went 26 for 31 at the foul line, compared to 8 for 16 for the Bobcats. "We fought hard. Obviously, the difference in the game was the difference in free throws," Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said. "You come here and theyre a great team, theyre well prepared. You cant get outscored by 18 at the free-throw line. Thats the game in a nutshell." Rose, who hit a career-high six 3-pointers in the Bulls 110-94 win Saturday over Indiana, went 4 for 13 from the field. The Bulls shot 27 of 75 (36 per cent) overall. "Well take it," said Rose, who played 31 minutes in his second game back after missing Chicagos win at Toronto on Friday with a sore right hamstring. Butler missed part of the game with a right toe injury but came back with 6:35 left in the fourth. Charlotte was looking for its fourth consecutive road victory and third in four games overall, but it was unable to take advantage of the Bulls poor shooting. Once again, the Bobcats struggled from the floor despite a strong effort in the paint. The Bobcats were shooting a league-worst 40.2 per cent from the field coming into the day, and they were 28th from 3-point range at 29.3 per cent. On Monday, they shot 36.3 per cent despite outscoring the Bulls 38-28 in the paint. "We played hard the whole game," said Henderson, who made two free throws with 51.3 seconds left to cut the Bulls lead to one. "We came out a little sluggish. We played them hard. We just didnt come up with the plays at the end of the game, defensively." Jeffery Taylor led Charlotte with a career-high 20 points and Henderson had 16 in a game that featured two of the leagues top defensive teams. Entering Monday, the Bulls were third in opponents scoring at 90.0 points per game, while the Bobcats were fourth at 93.6. "Theyre great defensively," Thibodeau said. "Steves a hell of a coach. Hes doing an unbelievable job. Im happy for him that hes finally gotten an opportunity and the job that hes doing." That defence helped Charlotte stay in the game without one of its best scorers. Bobcats centre Al Jefferson missed his third consecutive game with a bone bruise in his right ankle. Clifford said he hopes Jefferson can play Wednesday against Brooklyn, but he will more likely play Friday against Phoenix. Jefferson, who signed a three-year, $40.5 million contract with the Bobcats in July, has played in three of Charlottes 11 games and is averaging 15 points and 8.7 rebounds. Without him, Charlotte had a chance to win in the final minutes in Chicago, but couldnt find a way past the Bulls. "It was a long summer. We havent played in a while, all together. I think were starting to get a rhythm," Deng said. "Our offence, it still can get a lot better." NOTES: It was the Bulls last home game before they host New Orleans on Dec. 2. Their next six are away from Chicago as they go on their annual circus trip. ... Clifford and Thibodeau were on the New York Knicks coaching staff from 2001-2003 and in Houston from 2003-2007. ... Charlotte plays five of its next six at home. ... Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, former Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming, Bulls Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver were in attendance. Nathan Peterman Jersey . -- Top-seed Shahar Peer and Canadian Eugenie Bouchard advanced to the second round of the inaugural WTA Citi Open. Dion Dawkins Youth Jersey . - Kyle Wood and Barclay Goodrow scored second period power-play goals to provide all of the scoring for the North Bay Battalion in a 2-0 victory over the Erie Otters in Ontario Hockey League action on Thursday. http://www.authenticbillsfanatic.com/c- ... ersey.aspx. The Opening Day starter played 53 games this season hitting .192 with nine home runs and 25 RBI. Red Sox manager John Farrell has decided to start Jose Iglesias at third base as of late instead of Middlebrooks. Zay Jones Youth Jersey .C. - Steve Clifford isnt exactly singing his teams praises after the Bobcats won for the sixth time in seven games. Tre Davious White Youth Jersey . Or, for that matter, the aged.Jason Collins is the NBAs only openly gay athlete and he also happens to be an unemployed free agent. Coincidence? When Collins shared his sexuality with the world six months ago, he was hailed as a trailblazer and applauded for his courage. But Collins is a decade removed from anchoring the New Jersey Nets on back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals, and even the causal basketball fan knew he was on the downside of his career. Collins isnt Jackie Robinson, a young undeniable force poised to break down barriers, so when his name wasnt on an NBA roster on opening night, few were surprised. Collins sexuality wasnt what was holding him back from being in the league, but his talent. The 34 year-old centre had lost a step over the years and was always limited offensively, to the tune of 3.6 points per game for his career. But Collins strength is his ability to provide interior defence, rebound and supply relief minutes off the bench. His age also works in his favour as a veteran who acts accordingly, and as a solid locker room presence. However, those are costly positives at the NBA veterans minimum of $1.4 million, as teams are wary of entering the luxury tax. Collins absence in the league can be reasonably chalked up to one of the best blanket explanations in all of sports: "basketball decisions." According to Ric Bucher at Bleacher Report, several general managers said in October the apprehension of signing Collins didnt stem from concern about the locker room and his teammates, but the non-stop media hype that would come from it. "If it were just an initial blast and you knew it would settle down after that, it would be one thing," said one executive. "But you know this is something that he and his teammates are going to be asked about everywhere they go, all season long, and all it takes is one guy too say something a little off and it could really blow up.dddddddddddd Hes still good enough to play in the league, but when you throw in the ongoing media frenzy, most teams are going to decide its just not worth it." Already this season, three starting centres (Tyson Chandler, JaVale McGee, Larry Sanders), have suffered injuries that will keep them off the court for 5-6 weeks or more. In the quest for back-up support, Collins was again overlooked. When Golden State Warriors reserve Jermaine ONeal went down with a knee injury last week, the Warriors braintrust, "entertained the idea of asking assistant coach Brian Scalabrine to come out of retirement to fill the void." Scalabrine would also be entitled to the veterans minimum and ironically came into the league with Collins as rookie teammates on the Nets. The Warriors subsequently called up rookie Dewayne Dedmon from their D-League affiliate. While the notion of going with a younger, cheaper player is just smart business, the idea that there is a not-worth-the-hassle notion amongst general managers when it comes to Collins shows that his sexuality is an issue. Jason Collins isnt as talented as Jackie Robinson; he is a serviceable NBA player on the fringe. But if opportunities exist and teams continue to look past him due to concerns over the media fallout of his sexuality, he is being discriminated against just the same as Robinson was in 1947. This isnt a basketball decision and no one, not even Collins wants to be in the league because hes gay; he just wants to play and feels he can contribute. This isnt a situation of players acting ignorant or insensitive, but shortsighted gatekeepers, of which one wouldve likely signed Collins this season, if they were unaware of his sexuality, and thats a bigger problem. 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