|
 Noah was sitting on the bench resting a sprained ankle, and even
hurting his team by getting a technical foul in street clothes, and
forwards Mike Dunleavy and Doug McDermott are also hurt. But Derrick
Rose, Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol were too much for the Boston
Celtics to handle.
"We're minus two starters and a rotation player," Bulls coach Tom
Thibodeau said after his team won for only the second time in the
last six games, beating the Celtics, 119-103. "That's our reality
and we'll deal with it."
Dealing with it is a lot easier with Rose, the star point guard, on
the floor after missing most of the last two seasons with knee
injuries.
"What you're seeing is Derrick is getting stronger and stronger,
he's gaining more confidence, and he's getting that edge back,"
Thibodeau said after Rose finished with 29 points and 10 assists.
The trio scored all 33 of Chicago's points in the third quarter and
combined to lead the Bulls to a 64-point second half.
 Gasol, the rejuvenated big man, scored 14 of his 20 points in the
third quarter, and Butler, the non-stop forward, had 10 of his 22 in
the third. Rose had nine points and six assists in the quarter, 20
points in the second half.
"It's easy to look out there and see Rose being Rose, which is good
for him, not good for everybody else that's playing against him,"
said Celtics coach Brad Stevens.
Rose capped off his night with three straight 3-pointers late as
three Bulls scored 48 points in the second half.
"It was just great for us to tell you the truth," Rose said of the
win. "You can feel (it) in the locker room."
Gasol also had 11 rebounds and four assists. Guard Aaron Brooks came
off the bench to add 15 points (75 in four games against Boston this
season), and forward Taj Gibson posted 13 points and eight rebounds
as the Bulls ended a two-game losing streak and improved to 27-14.
"Their offense was excellent," said Stevens. "And their offense was
well choreographed, well designed, and well executed by multiple
All-Stars."
The in-flux Celtics, who lost for the 11th time in their last 14
games, stayed in the game by shooting in the high 50-percent range
from the field well into the third quarter. They trailed by two at
the end of the quarter, but the Bulls followed Rose and broke the
game open in the fourth.
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Forward Jared Sullinger led the Celtics with 20 points and eight
rebounds, forward Brandon Bass came off the bench with 16 points and
guard Evan Turner, playing with a thumb injury sustained Wednesday,
had 11 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Noah picked up the Bulls' second technical foul in the third
quarter. Earlier, Thibodeau was assessed his league-leading sixth
'T' of the season.
"That's Jo," Rose said of Noah. "We roll with him. We understand
him."
NOTES: C Joakim Noah on sitting out with his nagging ankle sprain:
"It's better. Just going to keep working at it every day and get my
MRI (Saturday)." ... The Bulls weren't called for a foul in the
first quarter. ... Fs Tayshaun Prince and Shavlik Randolph, acquired
in Boston's latest deals, will join the team in Los Angeles
Saturday, as Boston opens a six-game trip against the Clippers
Monday. Randolph begins his second stay with the team. ... Boston
coach Brad Stevens, an Indianapolis native, said he's torn about
Sunday's AFC title game between the Patriots and Colts. "So, I grew
up for 33 years in Indianapolis, right?" Stevens said. "I have a lot
of friends there, and if I say the wrong team, they'll all be mad at
me. And I work here, so if I say the wrong team, they'll all be mad
at me." He said he's never met Patriots coach Bill Belichick but has
exchanged texts with him. "He's been great to me," he said. ...
Celtics G Phil Pressey made a pre-game announcement in honor of
Martin Luther King's birthday. ... Celtics rookie swingman James
Young was out sick.
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