Cristiano Felicio played the entire fourth quarter Saturday, further establishing his current role as the closing center.

"He's really growing," Dwyane Wade said. "He's doing a good job of bringing energy. He runs the floor, gets offensive rebounds. He's screening well to get guys open. He has been a positive."

Coach Fred Hoiberg called the second-year player from Brazil the team's best rim roller and cited his chemistry with Wade on pick-and-rolls and lob plays and with Rajon Rondo because of Felicio's ability to run the floor.

"The other thing he gives us is a big-time defensive presence," Hoiberg said. "We can get out and trap ball screens with him because of his ability to move. There are not a lot of big bodies that move as well as he does."

Nevertheless, Felicio sounded almost downcast after Saturday's victory because Anthony Davis piled up 15 fourth-quarter points though he wasn't always Felicio's responsibility.

"It has been a learning experience," Felicio said. "Some games, I sit on a guy who doesn't score as much so I have to help more. (Saturday,) I had a few mistakes on Davis that could have cost us the game. He's an unbelievable player. He can shoot and drive."

Felicio finished with nine points and seven rebounds, narrowly missing his third double-figure outing in four games.

"Since last year I've been working and really making progress," Felicio said. "With the coach trusting me to play those final minutes, it says that I'm going the right way."

Rotation roulette: Rondo logged 19 minutes, 29 seconds of reserve action, supplanting Jerian Grant in the rotation. Rondo finished with six points, five assists and two turnovers, even sinking two 3-pointers.

"He played with a lot of energy, which is great," Jimmy Butler said. "He got guys the ball in places they can make shots. He makes everyone's job a lot easier."

Layups: Nikola Mirotic didn't attend Saturday and didn't travel to Memphis, where he will miss his fourth straight game Sunday with the flu. Denzel Valentine returned from missing one game with the illness to play five minutes. … The Pelicans sank 14 free throws. The Bulls fell one game shy of tying the 2003-04 Pistons' NBA record of limiting four straight teams to fewer than 10 free throws. … The Bulls are the only team with three games of 60 or more rebounds.