Taj Gibson scored a game-high 32 points, 20 of which came in the first half, but the visiting Bulls fell to the Washington Wizards 98-89 in Game 4 on Sunday.
Jimmy Butler added 16, while Joakim Noah recorded 10 points and 15 rebounds for Chicago, which trails Washington 3-1 in their best of seven series.
The Wizards jumped out to a fast start, opening the game with a 14-0 run. Gibson provided a spark off the bench, scoring six quick points to get Chicago to within 24-18. The Wizards answered with eight straight to make it 32-18, but the Bulls responded with a 10-0 run of their own.
Washington, however, closed out the half strong to take a 55-40 lead at intermission. While Gibson tallied 20 points on eight of eight shooting in the first half, Trevor Ariza was equally impressive with 17, including five of six from long range.
In the second half, it was more of the same as Ariza tallied another ten points and Washington finished the third quarter with a 20-point advantage, 82-62.
The Bulls managed to get to within eight late in the fourth quarter, 91-83, but no closer.
Ariza finished with 30 points to lead the Wizards, while the backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal combined for 33.
Game 5 will be Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT at the United Center in Chicago.