Gasol’s double-double helps Bulls defeat new-look Suns

Pau Gasol (right) of the Chicago Bulls goes for a shot as Alex Len of the Phoenix Suns attempts to stop him during a NBA game at the United Center on February 21, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (AFP)

DPA/Los Angeles The Chicago Bulls stood pat during Thursday’s NBA trading deadline. On Saturday night, Spanish star Pau Gasol stood tall.  Gasol scored 22 points, including a crucial running hook shot with 31 seconds to play, and added 14 rebounds as the host Bulls held off the new-look Phoenix Suns, 112-107.  Jimmy Butler scored 19 points and Derrick Rose added 16 for Chicago (35-21), which began a seven-game homestand with its fifth win in six games and maintained its hold on first place in the Central Division.  “It’s a very good opportunity for us to establish ourselves and be successful at home and be stronger at home,” said Gasol, who has 16 double-doubles in his last 17 games. “Let’s see if we actually take advantage of it.”   On Thursday, there were 12 trades involving 17 teams and 39 players, but the Bulls were not among them. They are one of just six teams not to make a trade this season.  But Chicago has two All-Stars in Gasol and Butler, a former MVP in Rose and a strong bench that helped build a fourth-quarter lead. Taj Gibson made consecutive baskets and Aaron Brooks drained two three-pointers to give the Bulls a 91-85 edge. A three-pointer by Tony Snell and a layup by Brooks made it 98-89 with 6:37 left.  “Our bench really broke the game open and then we just had to finish it,” Gasol said.  The Suns still trailed by nine points with less than three minutes remaining but closed to 106-104 with 49 seconds to go on a layup by Eric Bledsoe, who had 13 points and eight assists. But Gasol drove across the lane and flipped in his hook shot, and two free throws each by Rose and Butler sealed it.  “We have to understand the importance of every game, lock in mentally and physically and play with a sense of urgency,” said  Gasol, who made 9-of-13 shots, including his sixth three-pointer of the season. The Suns need some urgency as well. They made three huge trades Thursday, sending Slovenian guard Goran Dragic to Miami and guard Isaiah Thomas to Boston - primarily for draft picks - and acquiring guard Brandon Knight from Milwaukee, who had 13 points and five assists off the bench.  “The point guard position takes time,” Knight said. “It’s tough to come in and figure things out right away. I need to learn their system, it’s important that I do that right now.”  P.J. Tucker scored 20 points and Marcus Morris added 17 for Phoenix (29-27), which has lost four in a row to fall 1 ½ games behind Oklahoma City for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot.  Mike Dunleavy scored 15 points and Gibson and Brooks added 12 apiece for the Bulls.  New Orleans Pelicans 105,Miami Heat 91 Eric Gordon scored 24 points and Norris Cole - traded from Miami to New Orleans on Thursday - victimized his former team with 12 for the visiting Pelicans.  Slovenian guard Goran Dragic, acquired by Miami from Phoenix in the same deal, scored 12 points in his Heat debut.  Both teams received bad news on the injury front. Earlier Saturday, the Heat announced that All-Star forward Chris Bosh would miss the rest of the season with blood clots on his lung. Pelicans All-Star forward Anthony Davis left in the first quarter after aggravating a right shoulder injury and forward Ryan Anderson departed in the second period with a sprained right knee.  Oklahoma City Thunder 110, Charlotte Hornets 103 Red-hot Russell Westbrook had 33 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the visiting Thunder, who played without reigning MVP Kevin Durant (sore foot), welcomed four new players and won their fifth in a row.  In their debuts with Oklahoma City, Turkey’s Enes Kanter had 10 points and 13 rebounds, D.J. Augustin scored 12 points and Kyle Singler added six. Mo Williams, acquired in a trade, had 24 points and 12 assists for the Hornets, who have dropped four straight.  Houston Rockets 98, Toronto Raptors 76 Corey Brewer had season highs of 26 points and 10 rebounds of the bench for the host Rockets, who stopped a two-game skid. The Raptors were held to their second-lowest total of the season and had a four-game winning streak stopped.  Los Angeles Clippers 126, Sacramento Kings 99 Austin Rivers scored 28 points and JJ Redick added 23 as the host Clippers won their fourth in a row. The Kings fell to 1-1 under new coach George Karl.