Boozer wins battle with Celtics' Davis

Bulls forward Carlos Boozer had an interesting battle with Boston's Glen Davis on Saturday.

Davis, starting in place of the injured Kevin Garnett, attempted more shots than any of the Celtics but made just 4 of 17 attempts for 11 points. Boozer claimed it was part of the Bulls' defensive plan.

“What we did was try to make (Rajon) Rondo go into almost like a little box and then make passes out of it back to Davis,” Boozer said. “Tonight he was missing his jump shot. He's usually a very good jump shooter. We got back to him (to contest the shots).”

Boozer took advantage of smaller defenders like Davis and rookie Luke Harangody to hit 9 of 15 shots for 22 points.

In the fourth quarter, Davis went to the floor after Boozer slid into the post, spread his arms and struck Davis on the chin. The Celtics' big man eventually got up and yelled across the court at Boozer, but the altercation ended there.

“I think he's just playing his game and I'm playing mine,” Boozer said.

Bulls analysis incomplete:

Before the game, Celtics coach Doc Rivers was asked to evaluate the Bulls, who are coached by former Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau.

“You can't evaluate them yet because they haven't been healthy,” Rivers said. “They've definitely improved defensively. Thibs has his fingerprints all over this team. You can see that.

“They are having a heck of a year with the injuries they've had. (Joakim) Noah being out and (Carlos) Boozer being out at the beginning of the year, that's a big chunk of your team, and they're still winning.”

No changes planned:

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau handled another inquiry Saturday about the potential for a lineup change. Starting shooting guard Keith Bogans has scored more than 3 points just once in the last 12 contests.

“The big thing is it's not any one particular guy right now,” Thibodeau said. “You can point the finger at this guy or that guy, but it's our entire group right now. Every aspect of our defense requires five people being tied together. We're scoring plenty. It's our defense we have to straighten out.”

Second-round fit:

Former Notre Dame star Luke Harangody delivered 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics in Friday's win over Toronto. His previous scoring high in the NBA was 4 points.

“I think he's figured out, at least on this team, if you run to an open spot and you're open, our team will give you the ball,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “We have a very unselfish group. And Luke is not shy. If he gets a shot, he's going to take it.”

Bull horns:

Luol Deng snapped a streak of 10 straight misses from 3-point range when he drained a long one with 6:48 left in the game. … The Bulls' record for free-throw attempts is 27 by Michael Jordan against the Nets in 1987.