A little payback: Rose, Bulls beat Bobcats
Fans at the United Center couldn't cheer loud enough at the sight of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen sitting together at courtside for Tuesday night's Bulls-Charlotte game at the United Center.
Jordan, now majority owner of the Bobcats, typically sits near his team's bench during home games.
The Bulls weren't into celebrity gazing on this night, though. They were focused on a different duo — the 2 losses they'd suffered against Charlotte this season.
With their guard up and guard Derrick Rose doing a little bit of everything in the second half, the Bulls pulled away to beat the Bobcats 106-94.
“We owe this team,” Bulls forward Carlos Boozer said. “Everybody got a little riled up because they remember those 2 losses and played a good game.”
Luol Deng led the Bulls (37-16) with 24 points, while Rose contributed 18 points and 13 assists. Charlotte adopted the popular defensive strategy of sending two or three defenders at Rose constantly.
“I really like the way Derrick played,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “The thing is, they were trying to get the ball out of his hands and they're very good at it. … He did a great job of reading what was happening and created easy offense for us.”
Rose departed the locker room early and didn't speak to reporters. A day earlier he seemed to break character when he talked about facing Charlotte and said if the Bulls played with energy, it should be an easy game.
“D-Rose is not that kind of dude,” Boozer said. “He's not cocky. He's not ahead of himself at all. He is very humble. I think what he was trying to say was as long as we play our style of basketball and focus on what we do, that we can play with anybody, anywhere.”
Maybe Rose was trying to fire himself up by speaking with confidence. The first game back from a long road trip is typically a dangerous assignment in the NBA.
This one was made easier by the schedule-makers, who gave Charlotte a home game against the Lakers on Monday. The Bobcats won that one by 20 points.
“(Rose) looked ready to me,” Boozer said. “He played a great floor game, great defense, hit big shots, made the right play every time. Played a monster second half after having a tough first half.”
This one was never exactly easy for the Bulls. They led by 11 in the second quarter, only to watch Charlotte (24-32) go on a 14-1 run and take the lead.
A key stretch came midway through the third quarter. With the score tied at 57-57, Rose took off for a pair of breathtaking drives to the basket. Deng added a jumper and Keith Bogans' third 3-pointer of the night put the Bulls up 69-59.
The Bobcats got as close as 5 early in the fourth quarter before the Bulls' reserves put the game away. Kyle Korver also knocked down 3 shots from 3-point range and scored 15 points, which led to this backhanded compliment from Charlotte's Stephen Jackson.
“Everyone knows he can't do anything but shoot,” Jackson said. “He can't really do anything else, but if you let him sit out there and shoot, he's going to kill you. He should be in the all-star 3-point contest every year.”
Mike McGraw's game tracker
Bulls 106, Bobcats 94
<B>Revenge game:</B> The Bulls lost to Charlotte twice last month and weren't about to let it happen again. Luol Deng scored 24 points, while Derrick Rose produced 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Bulls to their sixth straight home win.
<B>Odds and ends:</B> The Bulls outscored the Bobcats in second-chance points 18-7. A couple of subs found their way to the foul line. Charlotte's Gerald Henderson (22 points) shot 12 free throws, while Bulls forward Taj Gibson (11 points) attempted 10.
<B>Coming attractions:</B> The Bulls' final game before the all-star break will bring San Antonio, which owns the NBA's best record, to the United Center on Thursday.