Bulls refuse to be swept

The Detroit Pistons wanted a sweep. The Chicago Bulls didn’t oblige.

Luol Deng scored 25 points, Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon added 19 apiece, and the Bulls hung on to beat the Pistons, 102-87, in Game 4 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday afternoon. Detroit leads the series, 3-1.

Unlike Game 3, when the Bulls’ 19-point lead dissolved into a seven-point loss, Chicago withstood a late push by Detroit. The Bulls outscored the Pistons, 27-13, in the third quarter to turn a seven-point halftime lead into a 77-56 advantage going into the fourth.

The Pistons got within seven points twice in the final quarter but could get no closer.

“We’re not concerned at all,” the Pistons’ Rasheed Wallace said. “Our hats off to them, they won the game, you got to respect them for that ... but we will go and play hard on Tuesday.”