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 They looked lackluster in a 98-86 loss to the Charlotte Hornets,
who came into the game on a five-game losing streak.
"I was just really sad (when I found out)," said Bulls center Joakim
Noah, who had four points and 11 rebounds. "Angry, sad ... he
doesn't deserve it. It's just really disappointing. It was tough
(tonight). We didn't play well."
The Hornets (23-32) pulled away in the fourth quarter after a tight
back-and-forth game through the first 36 minutes. Two free throws by
forward Taj Gibson brought Chicago (36-22) within 78-74 with 8:13
left, but Charlotte used a 17-4 run in the next six minutes to ice
the game.
Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and center Al Jefferson combined to
score 16 of the points in the run, adding eight each. Kidd-Gilchrist
finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead five Hornets players
in double-figures scoring.
Guard Mo Williams scored 17 points, guard/forward Gerald Henderson
had 11 and guard Brian Roberts chipped in 12 for Charlotte.
 "I thought we had great intensity and focus," Hornets coach Steve
Clifford said. "We had a very good fourth quarter, which is really
important. Al Jefferson delivered big for us."
Forward Pau Gasol was big for the Bulls. He led all scorers with 25
points and pulled down 13 rebounds for his NBA-best 38th
double-double. Chicago guard Jimmy Butler added 14 points, reserve
guard Tony Snell scored 10 and guard Aaron Brooks -- who started
instead of Rose -- finished with 12 points and four assists.
Chicago lost for the first time in three games and just the second
time in the previous eight.
"It was difficult," Gasol said. "You could tell that emotionally it
was tough for us tonight. We tried to fight through it, tried to
give ourselves a chance, but it just wasn't perfect tonight."
Charlotte led 67-65 starting the fourth quarter thanks in large part
to Williams producing 13 points in the third. Gasol scored nine in
that quarter for the Bulls, who trailed 67-61 until Gibson sank two
free throws and guard Kirk Hinrich drilled a jumper with 51.9
seconds left to close within a basket.
That was as close as the Bulls got.
"We just kept playing," Jefferson said. "Things have been going bad
for us. We kept at it. We just kept playing hard, especially on
defense, and then the offense followed."
Each team used nice early runs to finish tied 20-20 at the end of
the first quarter. The Bulls built a 15-6 lead through the first
6:26 of the game and the Hornets countered by outscoring Chicago
14-5 in the final five minutes of the quarter.
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The Bulls got their points in the first from three players --
Brooks, Butler and Gasol -- and the Hornets had seven guys score.
The second quarter wound up with the same score on each side, making
it 44-44 at the half, but there weren't any extended runs and the
see-saw quarter had eight ties.
Chicago struggled from the free-throw line, shooting 65.2 percent
(15 of 23) and went 3 of 17 from the 3-point line. Each came back to
haunt the Bulls.
"We had good looks," said Brooks, who made 1 of 5 3-pointers. "We
just didn't knock 'em down."
After the game, Chicago's locker room had a somber feel. The loss
they'd just been dealt on the court wasn't the cause.
"We all were affected by it," Gasol said of Rose's injury. "They
might've been through this before (as a team), but this is the third
time it's happened. So you feel really bad for your teammate, for
your friend. It's just difficult."
NOTES: Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau opted to start 6-foot G Aaron
Brooks against the Hornets in the absence of PG Derrick Rose, who is
out with a meniscus tear in his right knee. Thibodeau said he would
likely divide Rose's minutes between Brooks, G Kirk Hinrich, G Tony
Snell and possibly G E'Twaun Moore, who is averaging just 7.6
minutes per game. ... Hinrich and PF Taj Gibson returned from
illnesses that held them out of the Bulls' 87-71 victory Monday
against the Milwaukee Bucks. ... Hornets G/F Kemba Walker (left knee
surgery) missed his 13th game, and C/F Bismack Biyombo (right knee
contusion) missed his 10th game.
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