Lopez leads Nets over Bulls 96-82

CHICAGO -- Brook Lopez had a season-high 29 points, Joe Johnson had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds and the Brooklyn Nets posted a 96-82 victory to snap the Chicago Bulls' seven-game winning streak on Tuesday night.

Lopez, playing in just his fifth game since returning from a lower back strain, started in place of Kevin Garnett and was 13 for 21 from the field.

Johnson was 8 for 14 from the field.

Mike Dunleavy led the Bulls (22-10) with 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting, including 5 for 9 on 3-pointers.

Jimmy Butler, who averaged 26.4 points during the winning streak, had just eight points. Derrick Rosehad just four.

Brooklyn (15-16) had just one previous win this season against a team with a winning record, a 99-87 win at San Antonio on Nov. 22.

During their seven-game streak, the Bulls had averaged 106.6 points on 45.4 percent shooting. But after a 31-point first quarter, they struggled to score the rest of the game.

Depth has been one of the Bulls' strengths this season, but the backcourt depth was put to the test early in the second quarter when backup point guard Aaron Brooks was ejected after picking up two quick technical fouls.

With the players heading toward the bench following a timeout with 9:42 remaining in the first half, Brooks picked up the first technical from official David Guthrie for bouncing the ball hard back onto the court.

At that point, Brooks turned and said something to Guthrie. The official then called the second technical, resulting in the automatic ejection.

At the time of the ejection, Brooklyn had opened the second with eight straight points to take a 32-31 lead. The Nets continued the run after play resumed and led by as 11 points before taking a 55-45 halftime lead.

After scoring 31 points on 12-for-20 shooting in the first quarter, the Bulls managed just 14 points on 6 for 27 (22.2 percent) shooting in the second quarter.

The Bulls scored the first five points of the third quarter to trim the lead in half, but the momentum was short-lived. The lead soon was back to double digits and the Nets took an 84-69 advantage into the fourth quarter.

With Brooks unavailable, Rose picked an inopportune time for one of his worst shooting nights of the season. He was 1 for 9 at halftime and 2 for 15 after three quarters. He did not play in the fourth quarter.

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TIP INS:

Nets: Kevin Garnett was held out after playing 21 minutes Monday night against Sacramento in Brooklyn. Brook Lopez started in Garnett's spot. It was Lopez's fifth game back since returning from a lower-back strain and he didn't play more than 15 minutes in any of the first four games.

Bulls: Kirk Hinrich (left hamstring) missed his fifth straight game. He still is listed as day-to-day and there is no target date for his return.

UP NEXT:

The Nets are at Orlando on Friday.

The Bulls host the Denver Nuggets on New Year's Day.