Bulls 111, Knicks 80: Nikola Mirotic scored 24 points off the bench as host Chicago prevailed and woeful New York set a dubious franchise record with its 60th loss.

Pau Gasol had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Jimmy Butler added 18 points and five steals for the Bulls, who won for the fifth time in six games. Taj Gibson had 14 points and nine rebounds and Aaron Brooks scored 12 points as Chicago moved two games behind second-place Cleveland in the Eastern Conference race.

Andrea Bargnani scored 14 points and Langston Galloway added 12 for the Knicks, who have lost seven straight games and 14 of their last 16. Ricky Ledo had 11 points and Shane Larkin contributed eight assists for New York, which failed to reach 90 points for the 11th time in 16 games this month.

The Bulls began pulling away with a 10-1 burst in the second quarter, capped by Mirotic’s 3-pointer that made it 45-28 with 4:28 left in the half. The lead reached 22 later in the quarter before Chicago held a 54-34 edge at the break as the Knicks shot 35 percent from the field.

New York trailed by 16 five minutes into the third quarter before the Bulls embarked on a 14-2 run that was capped by Gibson’s hoop for a 28-point lead with 1:46 left in the third quarter. Chicago led 84-53 entering the final stanza and its lead topped out at 36 while recording its eighth straight home win over the Knicks.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The double-double was Gasol’s 48th of the season. … The Knicks shot just 38 percent from the field, including 4-of-17 from 3-point range. … The Bulls had a 50-22 edge in points in the paint.