BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Chicago Bulls held on to an early lead to match their total of road wins from last season.
Jalen Rose returned to the starting lineup and scored 20 points, including two free throws in the final minute, to lift the Bulls to a 89-82 victory over the Boston Celtics.
Eddy Curry had 16 points and 14 rebounds and Kendall Gill and Scottie Pippen each scored 12 points as the Bulls improved to 3-1 on the road. The Bulls went 3-38 away from home in 2002-03, tying the Cleveland Cavaliers for the worst road record in the NBA.
"We're road warriors," Bulls coach Bill Cartwright said with a smile.
Chicago won its first road game last season against Boston in the opener on October 30, 2001.
After winning the opener against Boston, the Bulls lost 19 consecutive road games last season and didn't win its third game away from home until February 18, 2003 against Cleveland. This season has been a reversal as Chicago is 1-4 at the United Center.
"We're better on the road than at home," said Bulls forward Donyell Marshall, who had 11 rebounds and nine points. "Now we just have to make it even. Now we can make no excuses about winning at home."
Chicago opened the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run to build a 76-65 cushion with 8:52 to go. The Celtics responded with a 13-4 spurt over the next 4 1/2 minutes to cut the deficit to 80-78. Mike James capped the run with his sixth 3-pointer and finished with a career-high 18 points.
Costly turnovers and missed shots in the final minutes prevented Boston from winning its third straight game and spoiled James' career-night.
"No satisfaction at all in tonight's game," James said. "I don't really believe in individual performances it is measured in Ws and Ls and tonight we picked up an L and I didn't do enough, as far as I'm concerned."
Paul Pierce scored 14 points on just 4-of-15 shooting for the Celtics. Eric Williams had 13 points and Vin Baker added 12.
Jalen Rose guarded Pierce for most of the night but would not accept any credit for Pierce's subpar performance.
"It's always good when he misses," Rose said. "If I wasn't standing there he would have laid it up every time. Paul Pierce is a great player and no one guy can guard him 1-on-1. We made him work for every inch of the floor."
Boston led just once at 31-29 with 6:34 left in the second quarter. But a 3-pointer by Pippen 14 seconds later put Chicago ahead for good.
The Celtics got a tough road victory Tuesday at Indiana and seemed tired and out of sync in this one. Boston struggled from the field at 33 percent (28-of-85).
"I think it's nothing they did defensively I think it's just the way our offense didn't move the ball," Pierce said. "We didn't close and we just stood around watching each other. It's very frustrating. We just didn't get to play the type of basketball we normally play."
Poor ballhandling by the Bulls helped the Celtics keep the game close.
Rookie Kirk Hinrich, starting at point guard for the third straight game in place of Jamal Crawford, committed three turnovers in the fourth quarter.
