For Bulls, home's hardly been sweet
The Bulls are just 9-6 at United Center this season, easily the worst home record by a team in the top four of either conference.
They've lost to some quality opponents at home, but also dropped games to Boston, Indiana and Brooklyn, three teams with losing records.
The Bulls needed a third-quarter rally to hold off Denver on Thursday, and the sometimes scrappy Celtics are back in town Saturday. So even though the Bulls have won 11 of their last 13, that tendency to relax at home has prevented them from rising higher in the East.
"That's the challenge you face all the time is not to get distracted, to understand what goes into winning and not to get bored with the process," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said after Friday's practice at the Advocate Center. "You can't get here without being a great player, so every team in this league is more than capable of beating you - and you have to understand that."
The Bulls have had a rough week, but they pulled off a couple of narrow escapes. First they blew a 21-point lead Monday at Indiana, but managed to win thanks to Jimmy Butler's late 3-pointer. After getting trounced by Brooklyn on Tuesday, the Bulls held off Denver 106-101 after trailing by 13 points.
Derrick Rose endured an epic shooting slump along the way. From the third quarter against the Pacers to the third quarter against the Nuggets, Rose went 2-for-32 from the field. But he was able to finish strong, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter to help the Bulls survive against Denver.
Rose got himself going with a couple of driving layins in the third quarter. Late in the game, the Bulls got a couple of putbacks after Rose drew defenders and missed a shot.
"The important thing for a point guard is to keep the pace of the game going," Thibodeau said. "We want him to attack, and the more he does that, the easier it is for everyone else."
With the Bulls scoring more points this season, there's been a tendency to question the usually-reliable defense. Joakim Noah touched on that topic after Thursday's contest.
"We've just got to keep grinding, keep getting better," Noah said. "We've got a ways to go. We've got to get better defensively. We're scoring a lot, but I think we're making it harder than it needs to be. day's contest."
On Friday, Thibodeau stuck up for the defense by listing some key statistics.
The Bulls are fourth in the league in defensive field-goal percentage (. 432). They are tied for third in rebounding margin (plus-2.8), a category where they've shown major improvement since early in the season.
The Bulls have given up the second-fewest 3-point baskets and the fewest 3-point attempts. Their opponents' 3-point percentage (. 351) ranks 14th in the league, so there is some room for improvement. They are 10th in points allowed at 98.5 per game.
"Points in general are up in the league," Thibodeau said. "I think part of it is with the 3-point shooting, teams are playing smaller. The field-goal percentage is important to me. The 3-point defense is important to me. The rebound margin is important to me. Those are the things I think you have to look at.
"Are you containing the ball? You're looking at 50 to 60 pick-and-rolls in a game. How many are defended well? Are you giving them the shot you want them to take?"
Well, at least the Bulls know what they're supposed to be doing. Facing a sub-.500 opponent at home Saturday might be the perfect test.
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