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Foul finish: Bulls let one get away

One of the most common second guesses in basketball happens when a team ties the game with a late 3-pointer. "Why didn't they foul before the guy could shoot the 3," is the popular question.

Well, the Bulls provided a textbook example of why not to foul with a late 3-point lead.

They had a victory over Dallas in the bag Tuesday night when Pau Gasol hit 2 free throws to give the Bulls a 108-105 advantage with 4.2 seconds left.

Kirk Hinrich tried to foul before Monta Ellis could launch a potential tying 3-pointer, but he got there too late. Ellis was able to start his shooting motion and was awarded 3 free throws. He drained all 3 with 1.2 seconds on the clock and the game went to overtime.

Finally in double overtime, the Mavericks pulled out a 132-129 victory as Ellis poured in 38 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 39 seconds left in the second extra session.

After the game, both Hinrich and coach Tom Thibodeau accepted blame for the 3-shot foul.

"To me, it was my fault, because we wanted to take the foul and I wasn't clear enough about how and where," Thibodeau said. "Obviously, we wanted to take (the foul) in the backcourt. They were out of timeouts. But it gets tricky. They get into a scoring area … that's my fault, my fault."

Hinrich said Thibodeau sent the same message inside the locker room, but he wasn't buying it.

"I waited too long; I messed it up," Hinrich said. "It was a bonehead play. I know better than that. This one's on me. I'm just disappointed because I feel like we played a good game to that point. We were in position to win. For them to tie it up on a play like that, it was a bad decision."

This was the Bulls' first game back at the United Center after a long circus road trip. They'll hit the road again Wednesday with a game at Charlotte.

For most of this contest, it appeared the Bulls (11-7) still are getting the hang of this new offensive-oriented style.

Against the NBA's highest-scoring team, the Bulls left shooters wide open, watched dribblers skip unguarded to the basket and fell behind by double digits more than once.

Points can solve a lot of problems, though. The Bulls used a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter to take command but let it get away. The poor execution went beyond Hinrich's poorly timed foul.

Ironically, the Bulls were faced with the same situation, trailing by 3 points late in the first overtime, and turned the tables when Derrick Rose banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the score.

In the second OT, Gasol scored 3 straight baskets, then Rose found Joakim Noah for a dunk to put the Bulls ahead 129-127 with a minute left.

Ellis knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer with 39 seconds left. With a chance to take the lead, Rose's one-handed runner over Dirk Nowitzki rimmed out and Chandler Parsons hit 2 free throws with 8.7 seconds left.

Gasol led the Bulls with 29 points and 14 rebounds, while playing 50 minutes. Jimmy Butler added 23 points, Mike Dunleavy scored 20, while Rose finished with 18 points, 10 assists and 7 turnovers.

Thibodeau said he expects everyone to play Wednesday in Charlotte. Rose said after the game his left hamstring feels fine.

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