Bulls 'just win' with 49-point fourth quarter
Whether this felt more like a time warp or the wrong arena, this certainly wasn't the defensive-minded basketball Bulls fans have grown used to.
The Bulls rallied from a 12-point deficit midway through the third quarter to beat the East-leading Toronto Raptors 129-120 on Monday night at the United Center, by a score that was more common for the 1970s.
In the process, the Bulls set a franchise record for points in a quarter by scoring 49 in the fourth. The previous record of 47 points was set on Jan. 3, 1975, against Phoenix.
"That's what we like," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I don't care how we win, as long as we win. Low-scoring, high-scoring, medium-scoring - just win."
Derrick Rose returned from two games off due to an illness and took over in the final quarter, scoring 15 points while hitting 6 of 6 shots from the field. Rose led the Bulls with 29 points, while Jimmy Butler added 27.
"It's a different team, a different way that (Thibodeau's) letting us play," Rose said in the locker room. "It's kind of a free offense, where if we get it, we're gone. He lets us run pick-and-roll, let us run drags or whatever we want to run when we're in the open court, so there's a lot of freedom."
The Bulls (18-9) trailed 60-48 midway through the third quarter, then put together a few minutes of good defense, limiting Toronto to 1-of-13 shooting over the final 6:30 in the third quarter.
"I thought the second half defense was actually pretty good," Thibodeau said.
The Bulls took the lead for good on a pair of Joakim Noah free throws with seven minutes left. Rose hit a pullup jumper and Nikola Mirotic knocked in a couple more free throws to make it 100-95 and Rose went to work.
On three trips down the floor, Rose scored on a running bank shot, a 20-foot pullup and a jumper from the key.
"Derrick's known for making plays, especially in the fourth quarter," Butler said. "We're making shots, getting to the line. When guys get into the groove on this team, it's hard to turn them off."
Mirotic, coming off a career-high 27 points Friday at Memphis, played nearly the entire fourth quarter. Thibodeau used Mirotic and Noah down the stretch, leaving Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson, who returned from two games off with an ankle injury, on the bench.
"I thought Pau had a good game going," Thibodeau said. "I was actually waiting to put him back in, then we got rolling with that group, so I just wanted to ride it out.
"I'm not locked into it. As I said, I was planning on coming back with Pau. It was Taj's first game back. That group had a good thing going. It got past the point where I thought Pau had sat too long. It's not set in stone. Pau, I don't want to take anything away from the clutch year he's having."
What Thibodeau needs to figure out is how much Mirotic's outside shooting helps create space for Rose. The Bulls finished with Rose, Butler and Aaron Brooks on the floor, three guys who can score on the drive. Kirk Hinrich left the game after suffering a left-hamstring strain.
This was the Bulls' highest-scoring game that ended in regulation time since they scored 132 points against Sacramento on March 21, 2011.
Toronto (22-7) started the night leading the Eastern Conference standings and had a six-game winning streak snapped. The Bulls (18-9) are 2-0 against the Raptors this season. Tuesday's opponent, Washington, is tied for second in the East with Atlanta.
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