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 Communication.
"We just talked on D," said Gibson, who notched 11 points, 10
rebounds and six blocked shots. "We were covering for each other.
Guys were flying around on defense."
Meanwhile, the struggling Nets looked eager to fly out of town.
Guard Derrick Rose scored 23 points to lead the Bulls (13-8), who
outscored Brooklyn 54-29 in the second half to coast to the victory.
Forward Pau Gasol added 16 points and 16 rebounds for his seventh
consecutive double-double, and forward Jimmy Butler scored 18 points
with five rebounds.
The Nets (8-12) lost by more than 20 points for the third
consecutive game and dropped to 2-9 in their past 11 visits to the
United Center. Guard Deron Williams led Brooklyn with 17 points and
five assists, while forward Kevin Garnett tallied 13 points and
seven rebounds.
 Brooklyn coach Lionel Hollins dismissed suggestions that his players
wore down in the second half. Garnett required an X-ray on his foot
in the fourth quarter, but he said after the game that his foot was
fine while declining to elaborate.
"It had nothing to do with fatigue," Hollins said. "Every game,
people get tired. I'm not using any excuses. They just beat us. We
can sit here and say 'did we not make adjustments, did they not
understand this' We just got beat by a superior team tonight."
The Bulls built a 77-68 lead at the end of the third quarter thanks
to balanced scoring from Gasol, Gibson and forward Mike Dunleavy.
Gibson also made a difference on defense, as he leaped to block a
lay-up attempt by Williams, setting up a lay-in by Dunleavy at the
opposite end.
"They came out with energy and got us back on our heels," Chicago
coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I liked the way we responded in the
second half."
After falling behind by 12 points in the first half, the Bulls
rallied to even the score 51-51 at halftime. Rose led the comeback
with nine points in the second quarter by attacking the rim with a
series of layups and floating jump shots.
Rose led Chicago in scoring for the third time this season and
topped 20 points for the fifth time.
"I thought Derrick was more aggressive in general," Thibodeau said.
"That's what we need from him. He has to continue to be that. The
more aggressive he is, the better for our team."
Hollins called a timeout with 4:15 remaining in the first half after
Rose scored on a give-and-go with Gasol. Rose's rainbow jump shot
from inside of the free throw line capped a 9-1 run that gave the
Bulls a 43-39 lead.
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Brooklyn grabbed the first seven rebounds of the game and raced to a
20-8 lead before the Bulls strengthened on defense. The Nets
followed their hot start by going scoreless for 4:05 until Garnett
and Williams hit back-to-back jump shots, helping Brooklyn take a
25-20 edge at the end of the first quarter.
"The team played hard tonight," Garnett said. "We just couldn't put
four quarters together. If I had a remedy for our second half
problems, I would pull them out and give everyone a dose."
Garnett picked up a steal in the third quarter to become the 16th
player in NBA history to amass 1,800 career steals. Garnett, 38,
joined Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant as the only active
players to reach the milestone.
The Bulls won for only the third time in eight home games this
season.
"We needed that one," Chicago guard Kirk Hinrich said. "We've had
some tough ones here, and hopefully this will get us back on track.
NOTES: Nets C Brook Lopez (strained back) and G Joe Johnson (flu)
each sat out for the second consecutive game. ... Bulls C Joakim
Noah did not play because of an injured right ankle. His status is
uncertain for Friday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. ...
Nets coach Lionel Hollins said he would not speak with players to
address trade rumors. Recent reports have said the team is open to
trading Lopez, Johnson and G Deron Williams. "I don't say anything,"
Hollins said. "There's nothing you can do about it." ... Bulls F
Doug McDermott missed his fourth consecutive game because of a right
knee injury. ... Nets C Mason Plumlee started his third game of the
season and contributed eight points and eight rebounds. "He's had a
few extra minutes lately," Hollins said. "He's done some nice
stuff."
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