Bulls 108, Raptors 92: Nikola Mirotic continued his outstanding play by matching his career high with 29 points and added 11 rebounds as host Chicago leapfrogged Toronto.

Mike Dunleavy added a trio of 3-pointers en route to 21 points and Joakim Noah matched a career high with 14 assists to go with eight points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who moved one-half game ahead of Toronto for the third spot in the Eastern Conference. Mirotic, who exploded for 20 of his 25 points in the second half as the Bulls beat Indiana 103-86 on Wednesday, entered averaging 20.3 points in nine March outings.

DeMar DeRozan had 27 points and seven rebounds for the Raptors, who played without point guard Kyle Lowry (back). Patrick Patterson added 17 points and three 3-pointers but Toronto still lost for the 12th time in 16 games.

DeRozan scored 10 quick points as Toronto jumped to a 19-12 lead, but Mirotic drained two 3-pointers en route to 10 first-quarter points over a four-minute span as Chicago took a 32-24 lead. Toronto closed within four midway through the second quarter before Kirk Hinrich drained a shot from the arc, Mirotic added a pair of hoops and Dunleavy hit a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer to provide Chicago a 60-48 edge.

Dunleavy scored eight and Aaron Brooks five in the first seven minutes of the second half as the Bulls extended their lead to 21. Patterson scored the first five points of the fourth quarter and Toronto closed within 11 before Mirotic converted a three-point play and another hoop during a quick 9-2 run that restored order and allowed the Bulls to win their first game in three tries against Toronto this season.

GAME NOTEBOOK: DeRozan scored 15 points on 4-of-4 shooting in the first quarter while his teammates scored nine points on 4-of-12 shooting. … Bulls F Taj Gibson returned after missing nine games with an ankle injury and had six points and three rebounds in 10 minutes. ... Toronto shot 10-of-25 from the arc and committed just seven turnovers but were outrebounded by 11 and shot 38 percent compared to 53.2 by Chicago.