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 One night after suffering a draining double-overtime loss to
Dallas in Chicago, the Bulls bounced back and rolled to a 102-95
victory over the reeling Charlotte Hornets.
Pau Gasol led the way with 19 points and 15 rebounds, and fellow big
men Joakim Noah and Nikola Mirotic also had double-doubles in a
solid performance from start to finish.
The Bulls led by as many as 13 in the second half, and took control
for good with an 8-0 spurt that turned into a 15-4 run midway
through the fourth quarter.
Gasol, who played 50 minutes in the double-overtime loss to Dallas
and 36 on Wednesday night, was pleased with the way the team
responded to adversity on several fronts.
"I think the only way to put last night behind us is to get a nice
game here and get a good win, in spite of the circumstances -- the
fatigue, getting in here late, getting back-to-back," Gasol said.
"We had every excuse, pretty much, but we came out and we took care
of business. We played together. We dug in and gave everything we
had."
 The Bulls (12-7) were playing their eighth road game in the last
nine games after a seven-game, 15-day trip that preceded the loss to
the Mavericks. They are now 10-3 this season on the road.
"Tonight I loved the toughness of our guys," Thibodeau said. "To
bounce back, and this has been a challenge coming off a 15-day trip,
have one home game, and turn around the next night, back-to-back,
and be ready, I'm very pleased.
"Being ready to play is important. Bouncing back after a tough loss
last night shows you the resiliency of the team. We had a number of
guys step up. The bench played very, very well. I thought we shared
the ball well, kept our turnovers down, defended, rebounded, covered
the line, and that's what you need to do to win."
Noah finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Mirotic had 11
points and 12 rebounds, giving all three Chicago big men
double-doubles. The Bulls also got 15 points each from guards Jimmy
Butler and Derrick Rose, and 12 points from guard Kirk Hinrich.
The Bulls hit 12 3-pointers, including three each from Hinrich and
forward Mike Dunleavy.
Hinrich was a great example of the Bulls' resiliency. He had been
the goat of the loss to Dallas, committing a foul on a 3-point shot
that allowed the Mavs to get to overtime, but wound up hitting two
clutch 3-pointers in the final three minutes Wednesday night.
"This was a big win," Hinrich said. "It was a gut-check. After the
way we lost last night, I'm just proud of the guys for hanging in
there and getting one tonight."
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The Hornets (4-15) suffered their 10th straight loss, and this one
followed a script similar to many of the others.
Charlotte hung around for three quarters, trailing just 72-71 going
into the fourth, but buckled when the Bulls went on their run midway
through the final period.
Guard Kemba Walker scored 23 and guard Lance Stephenson had 20
points and eight rebounds for the Hornets. But leading scorer Al
Jefferson was held to 13 points and seven rebounds.
"Obviously, the difference in the game was the 3-point shooting,"
Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. "We played hard. We did some good
things, but obviously we didn't do enough to win."
Walker said, "We've been playing well. It's a few games here and
there that we haven't played so well. We've had so many games that
we played well that we just didn't follow through. That's been our
biggest problem."
NOTES: Hornets F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (stress reaction right foot)
missed his 11th straight game and G Gary Neal (left shoulder sprain)
missed his fourth straight. F Marvin Williams (shoulder) returned
after missing the previous two games. ... The Bulls were without F
Taj Gibson (left ankle) and F Doug McDermott (right knee). ...
Hornets G Jeffery Taylor continues to serve a 24-game suspension.
... Bulls G Jimmy Butler came into the game leading the NBA in
minutes played, averaging 39.8. He was also 10th in scoring at 22.0.
... The Hornets were coming off a 105-75 loss at Atlanta on
Saturday. They trailed by as many as 44. ... The Bulls were playing
the eighth road game in their last nine games after going 4-3 on a
recent seven-game trip. ... Hornets coach Steve Clifford and Bulls
coach Tom Thibodeau were assistants together in Houston from 2003 to
2007. ... The Hornets were opening a three-game homestand. They'll
host New York on Friday. ... The Bulls will return home to face
Golden State on Saturday.
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