John Salmons hit a 3-pointer to spark a late 9-3 spurt, pacing the Chicago Bulls to a 93-90 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats Saturday.

Salmon's 3-pointer ignited a run that ended with Luol Deng's jumper putting the Bulls up 92-85 with 2:40 to play. Salmons led all scorers with 27 points and added seven rebounds and six assists, while Joakim Noah poured in a career-high 21 and grabbed a game-best 16 rebounds for Chicago.

Deng chipped in with 14 points for Chicago while Derrick Rose added 13 as the Bulls won their third straight. The victory was a morale booster for the Bulls only a day after they lost Tyrus Thomas for up to six weeks with a broken arm.

Boris Diaw paced the Bobcats with 20 points, while Raymond Felton added 14 points and dished off a game-high 10 assists as Charlotte lost for the first time in three games.