Bulls send frustrated Wizards to their 12th loss in 15 games

The Washington Wizards are in a tailspin.

The Chicago Bulls defeated the Wizards 97-92 to send Washington to their 12th loss in 15 games.

Playing without Taj Gibson, Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler, Pau Gasol and Aaron Brooks stepped up with 20 and 22 points apiece. Gasol was excellent on the pick-and-pop, canning six long jumpers and sinking 8-of-11 attempts from the field along with 10 rebounds. Brooks didn't shoot a high percentage, but he dished out eight assists.

The Wizards struggled to score, continuing a trend that has plagued them over the past month. The Wizards' backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal were cold, shooting a combined 14-of-38, while power forward Nene went scoreless in 20 foul-plagued minutes of play. With Bulls center Joakim Noah shutting down the interior, the Wizards struggled to generate decent looks.

Nene's frustrations eventually boiled over in the fourth quarter. Nene raked Noah across the face and would go on to foul out.

The Wizards trailed by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter, but they mounted a furious attempt at a come-from-behind victory. Washington came within three points, before the Bulls sealed the win after Gasol collected an offensive rebound late in the game.

Not to be overlooked, Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic also factored into the win, scoring a game-high 23 points off the bench. Being a stretch-four, the Wizards were constantly forced to run him off the 3-point line. Mirotic took advantage by catching defenders in the air, or simply driving past them. He finished with 3-of-7 from deep and 8-of-11 from the free-throw line.

The win helps Chicago keep pace with the streaking Cleveland Cavaliers, who easily handled the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. The Bulls sit a half-game up on Cleveland and are just a half-game back of second-place Toronto Raptors.

Washington, meanwhile, are just one game up on sixth-place Milwaukee Bucks.