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 It paid off in a 98-90 win against the Orlando Magic at the
United Center for the Bulls' second win in as many games without the
injured Rose, who took warmups but didn't play because of lingering
ankle injuries.
Paced by 34-year-old forward/center Pau Gasol (16 points) and guard
Jimmy Butler (21 points), Chicago improved to 3-1 by getting 10
players into the game and five into double-figure scoring.
"We are shooting so much better," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said,
after watching his team post identical 46.7 percent shooting marks
from the field (35-of-75) and the 3-point line (7-of-15). "That is a
big plus for the team. When you add Pau to the lineup, with
everything that he does, that is winning basketball. It was a good
team win."
Gasol logged a whopping 40:59 of playing time to lead all players in
minutes, while Butler patched the hole left in the backcourt by
Rose, playing 35:02 and pulling down nine rebounds to go with his
point total. Forward Taj Gibson, who started for Noah, added 16
points.
"Everybody in this league has a team full of NBA players," Butler
said. "That means everyone is really good. [It's] like Thibs says,
'You wouldn't be here if you were not a really good basketball
player.' But guys step up. We want everyone playing. We are still
supposed to win the game."
Also posting double-digit scoring for Chicago were rookie forward
Doug McDermott (12 points) and reserve guard Aaron Brooks, who had
eight assists and three blocks to go with the 13 points he scored.
Forward Tobias Harris led Orlando (0-4), scoring 21 points and
grabbing nine rebounds. Teammate Nikola Vucevic, a 7-foot center,
finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Magic, who
out-rebounded the Bulls 48-44.
"Tonight I came out and wanted to be aggressive," Harris said. "I
wanted to match the intensity of the Bulls, with their defense. I
was taking what they gave me. We just let this game slip away."
The game was tied at 69 starting the fourth quarter. The lead
continued to see-saw until Chicago started pulling away near the
midway point. A 3-pointer by rookie Nikola Mirotic (eight points)
with 7:51 left put the Bulls up 82-77, matching their largest lead
of the game. A second three by the Serbian rookie, from almost the
same spot on the floor, made it 87-79 with 6:38 left.
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The Bulls closed it out from there, with Brooks hitting several big
shots down the stretch to preserve or extend the lead. Aiding the
effort was Chicago's ability to get to the free-throw line. The
Bulls went 21-of-27 at the foul line, compared to 8-of-14 for the
Magic.
"We just have to learn from that," Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn said.
"We have to accept that is how things are called on the floor. We
have to play hard and get the respect to get those same calls."
Orlando held a 28-24 lead after the first quarter, with seven Magic
players scoring in an effort that included the Magic hitting 12 of
21 shots (57.1 percent). Chicago erased the deficit in a tightly
contested second quarter and took a 54-52 lead into halftime after
Butler scored on a runner at the baseline with 1.2 seconds left.
NOTES: Bulls G Derrick Rose participated in pregame warmups but
missed his second game because of sprains in each ankle. ... Bulls
C/F Joakim Noah didn't attend the morning shoot-around because of an
illness and didn't play. Noah will travel Wednesday on his own to
Milwaukee, where his availability to play against the Milwaukee
Bucks will be reassessed. ... Chicago G/F Jimmy Butler (left thumb
sprain) and F Taj Gibson (left ankle sprain) were cleared to play.
... Magic F/C Kyle O'Quinn missed his third straight game because of
an ankle injury. ... Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn said F Channing
Frye isn't entirely recovered from an MCL sprain in his left knee
but is still a valuable asset. "He can shoot the basketball from the
perimeter, he makes defenses adjust to what he's capable of doing
and hopefully that (helps) the other athletes we have on our team,"
Vaughn said. "He's far from being 100 percent, but he's giving us
the minutes that he can right now."
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