Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Pau Gasol faced his former team for the first time, but a showdown with Kobe Bryant will have to wait. Gasol had 23 points and 13 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls routed the Los Angeles Lakers 113-93 on Christmas Day. Gasol signed with the Bulls during the offseason after spending his previous six-plus seasons with the Lakers, winning a pair of NBA titles. The 36-year-old Bryant cited old age and sore knees as his reasons for sitting out Thursday nights game against Chicago during a pregame session with reporters. Jimmy Butler posted 21 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Derrick Rose added 20 points and six assists for Chicago, which has won five straight and eight of its last nine games. Wesley Johnson supplied 19 points and nine boards and Ed Davis provided 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who have dropped four of their last five contests. Butlers turnaround fadeaway in the waning seconds of the first half staked Chicago to a 58-47 halftime advantage, but an 11-2 Lakers run to start the second half got them within a basket. Jordan Hill had six points during the surge, which was capped on a Johnson layup to trim the margin to 60-58. The Bulls pulled away during the latter stages of the third and early portion of the fourth with an 11-3 burst. Taj Gibson split a pair of foul shots to finish off the swing and give the Bulls a 92-80 spread. Chicago cruised to the easy win from there. Earlier, the Bulls led 27-24 following a quarter of play and outscored LA 31-23 in the second. Game Notes Gasol signed a three-year, $22 million contract with Chicago during the offseason ... It wouldve been Bryants NBA-record 16th Christmas Day game had he suited up. He came in averaging 30.4 points over his last nine Christmas games ... LA turned the ball over just four times, but was outrebounded 57-39. Curtis McKenzie Jersey . The Flames are in the midst of a six-game slide (0-5-1), their longest losing streak since an 0-6-3 skid from Jan. 11-28, 2010. They havent won since Nov. 3 in Chicago and most recently went winless on a three-game homestand. T.J. Tynan Jersey . 3 Ohio State. Amedeo Della Valle had 15 points, Marc Loving scored a career-high 13 and the bench provided 38 points as the Buckeyes sprinted past Nebraska 84-53 on Saturday. http://www.officialgoldenknightsfanstore.com/colin-miller-golden-knights-jersey-c-5/ . The Canadian Football Leagues all-time passing leader said he has not made a final decision, but he will discuss his future with Montreal Alouettes owner Bob Wetenhall on the weekend. Oscar Lindberg Jersey . - The Pittsburgh Pirates plan on keeping promising left fielder Starling Marte playing alongside National League MVP Andrew McCutchen for years to come. Jonathan Marchessault Jersey . Neither made it that far in 2013. Not even close. Federer lost his second match at the All England Club. Nadal exited in the first round, a year after bowing out in the second.DETROIT -- Despite falling a single short of hitting for the cycle in front of his childhood idol, Eugenio Suarez still had a memorable game. Playing in just his eighth career game, Suarez had a double, triple, homer, two RBIs and scored three runs in Detroits 12-9 victory Saturday. He grounded into a force out in the eighth inning, ending his bid for the cycle. Making it even better, former Tigers star Magglio Ordonez was watching from a Comerica Park suite. Suarez grew up in Venezuela with Ordonez as his favourite player, and wears the same No. 30 jersey. "I didnt know I was ready to have a game like that," Suarez said. "It was great to have the chance at the cycle, even if I didnt get it, but it was more special because Magglio was here." The 22-year-old Suarez started the season in Double-A, and only got 12 games at Triple-A before coming up to the Tigers early this month. Hes hitting .400 with three homers in the big leagues. "We knew that he had some power, but we didnt expect him to come out like this," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "Hes become a major part of our offence a lot faster than we expected." One of Detroits veteran leaders, Victor Martinez, is also surprised at the way Suarez has arrived in the majors. "Hes been playing great for us, both on offence and defence," Martinez said. "When I came up to the majors, it took me a while to adjust and get into a rhythm, but he has just stepped right up." Suarez led off Detroits seven-run third inning with a homer and added an RBI double before it was over, but the Tigers had to hold on after jumping out to an 11-1 lead. The Twins scored eight runs in the final three innings against a slumping Tigers bullpen. "Weve got to be able to finish off games better than that," Ausmus said. "We had to get our top two guys up, and we used almost everyone else. That cant happen." Ian Krol got his first major league save by getting the last four outs, but also gave up a two-run homer. "Ive never been part of anything like that," said Krol, whose only other professional save came in Double-A. Detroit came into the game having lost 17 of 24 after a fast start to the season, but it was helped by another strong pitching performance. Anibal Sanchez (3-2) was charged with three runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings. Sanchez, Drew Smyly and Max Scheerzer have combined for a 1.dddddddddddd69 ERA in Detroits last three games. Sanchez was in complete control before he walked the leadoff hitter in the seventh and allowed a one-out RBI triple to Eduardo Nunez. Evan Reed then came in, and Nunez scored on a passed ball. Samuel Deduno (2-5) lasted just 2 2-3 innings for Minnesota, which had won three in a row. The right-hander allowed seven runs and seven hits, struck out three and walked two. "Nothing was good today," he said. "I didnt make good pitches, and I didnt get much luck. I just couldnt stop their offence." Suarez started the third with a drive over the bullpens in left, moments after Ordonez was shown on the video board and received a huge ovation. Suarez drove in Nick Castellanos with a double later in the inning, and Torii Hunter also had an RBI double. Martinezs drive off the top of the right-field wall was originally ruled a double, but quickly became a two-run homer after a replay review. Ian Kinsler drove in the seventh run of the inning with an infield single, and third baseman Trevor Plouffe strained his left oblique diving for the ball. Plouffe stayed in the game for another batter, but had to leave after aggravating the injury while throwing out Hunter to end the inning. Suarez added a triple in the seventh. Only one player -- Cliff Heathcote of the 1918 St. Louis Cardinals -- has recorded a cycle within the first eight games of his career. The Twins scored three times in the seventh and eighth to close to 12-7, but Krol retired Joe Mauer with the bases loaded for the final out of the eighth. Krol allowed Brian Doziers homer in the ninth before finally finishing a game that had lasted almost four hours. "We kept swinging, and they didnt pitch very well after the starter came out, so we had chances," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We got back into it, and the guys were up and yelling in the dugout." NOTES: With the homer and double in the third, Suarez became the first Tigers player with two extra-base hits in an inning since Ordonez on Aug. 12, 2007. ... The teams finish the three-game series Sunday afternoon with Detroits Rick Porcello facing Minnesotas Ricky Nolasco. ... Gardenhire said Plouffe will probably go on the disabled list Sunday, and that he is also concerned about Nunez, who injured a hamstring late in the game. 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