Bulls' bench brigade keys victory over Lakers

Tom Thibodeau pointed this out before the Christmas Night game against the Lakers.

The different in the Bulls this season isn't just about an upgrade at power forward, with Pau Gasol replacing Carlos Boozer.

Using the amnesty clause this summer to erase Boozer's $16.8 million salary from the cap allowed the Bulls to build impressive depth.

They used the savings to sign Gasol and Nikola Mirotic, re-sign Kirk Hinrich and had a little bit left over to ink backup guard Aaron Brooks.

Gasol played well against his former team Thursday at the United Center, but it was the bench that carried the Bulls to a 113-93 victory over the Lakers. The Bulls (20-9) extended their win streak to five games.

Gasol, who played for the Lakers from 2008-14, led the Bulls with 23 points and 13 rebounds. After a slow start on the boards, the Bulls finished with a 57-39 rebounding edge. They've now outrebounded the opponent in 13 of the last 14 games.

"It was weird, difficult at first to kind of get going," Gasol said. "You see people you shared so much with and the jersey you wore for so many years. So it gets a little bit emotional. But once you lock in and you start playing, you focus on what you need to do on the floor. You focus on playing well, helping your team win. That's what I tried to do today."

Gasol did his part, but the Bulls put the most distance between them and the Lakers (9-20) when the second group was on the floor.

Mirotic scored 13 points and has now hit 13 of his last 19 attempts from 3-point range, going back to the second half of last week's game against New York.

The loudest cheers at the United Center aren't for the free Big Macs anymore, it's whenever Mirotic has an open look from 3-point land - because so many fans are screaming for him to shoot.

Brooks finished with 13 points, his fifth straight game scoring in double figures. He's been the perfect sparkplug and is becoming a strong contender to be in the finishing lineup. Brooks has played down the stretch while Hinrich missed the last two games with a hamstring strain.

"His speed is tough to deal with," Thibodeau said of Brooks.

"He gets easy scoring opportunities. He's great in the pick and roll and he's got all the tricks. For a guy that's small, he can finish around the basket. Defensively, he's going to battle, compete. ... The guy's a winner."

Jimmy Butler added 21 points and Rose had 20 for the Bulls, who scored at least 100 points for the 20th time in 29 games. Last season, they reached 100 points 25 times in 82 games.

Taj Gibson, back after time off to rest a couple of sprained ankles, was active underneath, producing 9 points and 7 rebounds.

Guard E'Twaun Moore has gotten more minutes in recent games and is another guy playing well off the bench.

"You're hoping (the subs) can hold what was established and they're not only holding, they're building," Thibodeau said. "So it's great for us. There's great versatility. You can mix and match. Aaron and Derrick (Rose) give us a different look. All three bigs can play with each other. So there's a lot of different things you can go to."

Boozer hit 7 of 11 shots for 14 points and 5 rebounds, but came off the bench, so he was on the floor when the Bulls built leads.

Gasol admitted the game at Los Angeles on Jan. 29 will be more emotional. He didn't get to play against Kobe Bryant, who sat out Thursday due to general soreness and fatigue, but paid tribute to his former teammate.

"It felt good to hang out, to talk, spend quality time together (on Wednesday)," Gasol said. "I really enjoyed it. Obviously, I miss him. I don't get to see him much now, for obvious reasons. He's like a brother to me and I wish him the best. I have the utmost respect for who he is."

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