Dunleavy can't go for first time with Bulls
Mike Dunleavy's consecutive games streak with the Bulls ended at 115. He sat out Saturday's meeting with the Celtics because of a jammed right foot suffered in Thursday's win over Denver.
It was the first game Dunleavy has missed since joining the Bulls before last season. His absence leaves just two Bulls - Aaron Brooks and Nikola Mirotic - who have played in every game this season.
The Bulls got a double dose of bad news when they found out top scorer Jimmy Butler also would miss the game due to bereavement.
When meeting reporters before the game, coach Tom Thibodeau did not reveal his starting lineup, which eventually included Kirk Hinrich at shooting guard and Mirotic in a surprise start at small forward.
Thibodeau has talked about not wanting to use Mirotic at the three, because it gives the rookie another position to learn and negates his speed advantage against power forwards.
"When (Mirotic) does play a three, it limits what he can do in terms of it's a very small package (of offensive and defensive sets) we're using," Thibodeau said recently.
"You're going from being a post guy to a perimeter guy. There's a lot of differences between small and big, so that's what he's adjusting to."
Celtics sans Rondo:
Rajon Rondo didn't play when the Celtics beat the Bulls at the United Center on Nov. 8. So Boston didn't appear much different Saturday with no Rondo.
The Celtics did make a significant transformation by trading Rondo to Dallas on Dec. 18. He was the last remaining player from Boston's 2008 championship team, which featured Tom Thibodeau as lead assistant.
Rondo returned to Boston on Friday with the Mavs, scoring 29 points and knocking down a career-high 5 baskets from 3-point range.
"To me, it was pretty amazing what Rajon did there," Thibodeau said before Saturday's contest. "Watching the game last night, you thought back to everything he did, particularly in the playoffs.
"It was remarkable. He really was an offense to himself. But Boston ended up doing well in getting guys for him. That adds to their depth. They've got some nice young pieces."
A couple of guys acquired from Dallas in that trade - Brandan Wright and Jae Crowder - played against the Bulls on Saturday.
Heading into this game, Boston was 2-5 since trading Rondo. Oddly enough, the long-armed point guard has been more of a scorer for the Mavericks, averaging 15.4 points and 7.4 assists. For the Celtics this season, Rondo averaged 8.3 points and 10.8 assists.
Bull horns:
The Jan. 14 home game vs. Washington will now be televised by ESPN. No change in start time, 7 p.m. … Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau on the Celtics having no players left from the 2008 championship team he helped coach: "It shows you how quickly time does go by. There's really not another franchise like that where they have all the championships through the different decades. … They always find a way."