Bulls pounded by Pistons 100-91
In the last game before the all-star break, Derrick Rose scored 30 points against Cleveland's Kyrie Irving.
Back on the court after the break, Rose's opponent Friday was Detroit rookie Spencer Dinwiddie. This time, Rose finished with 8 points and 6 turnovers.
The four-game win streak before the break ended with a thud as the Bulls were outplayed by the short-handed Pistons (22-33) and lost 100-91 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
The game started out OK, and the Bulls led by 8 points at halftime.
But after being outscored 32-15 in the third quarter, the Bulls resorted to fouling Pistons center Andre Drummond intentionally. Drummond, one of the worst free-throw shooters in league history, went 4-for-13 at the foul line, but the Bulls never seriously threatened down the stretch.
"You have to play for 48 minutes in this league. If you let your guard down, you're going to get beat," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters after the game. "Second half, they came out, they hit us right away. Those first five minutes of the third quarter were critical, gave them the belief they could win and it made it hard on us."
One of the few bright spots for the Bulls was Jimmy Butler, coming off his first all-star appearance, scoring a game-high 30 points. Taj Gibson played well off the bench, finishing with 15 points and 9 rebounds.
Joakim Noah had 14 rebounds and 10 points, while Pau Gasol's career-best double-double streak ended at 14. He ended with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.
No matter how you look at it, Rose was outplayed by Dinwittie. The 6-foot-6 rookie from Colorado had barely played this season. But with Brandon Jennings injured, D.J. Augustin traded to Oklahoma City, and ex-Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson watching from the sideline, Dinwiddie was pressed into action and produced career-highs with 12 points and 9 assists. Former Bulls guard John Lucas III contributed 9 points off the bench for Detroit.
Rose missed Wednesday's first practice after the break because he didn't make it back to Chicago in time. Thibodeau was asked about that after the game.
"You're going to open yourself up to criticism when stuff like that happens," Thibodeau said. "Obviously, we want a commitment made by everybody to the team. Anytime there's a break like that, you're mindful of the circumstances.
"You have to give yourself plenty of time, so if something does go awry, you can still get back in time. It didn't happen. Hopefully, he learned from it and we all can learn from it."
Rose said he apologized to the team for his absence. It's a small issue in the big picture. But while Rose has played very well at times this season, he's still suffering the after-effects of a two-year layoff due to knee injuries.
"Being one of the leaders, for anyone to miss, I wouldn't want it to be me," Rose said, according to espn.com. "It hurt. I apologized to the guys and that was it."
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Bulls game day
Bulls vs. Phoenix Suns at the United Center, 7 p.m. Saturday
TV: WGN
Radio: ESPN 1000-AM
Outlook: The Suns were one of the most active teams at the trade deadline, moving two of their top three scorers. Guard Goran Dragic went to Miami and guard Isaiah Thomas to Boston, while the major acquisition was former Milwaukee PG Brandon Knight. The top scorers among the remaining Suns are PG Eric Bledsoe (17.2 ppg) and PF Markieff Morris (15.1). Bledsoe scored 23 points when the Bulls lost in Phoenix 99-93 on Jan. 30. The Suns, which lost Friday at Minnesota, are a half-game behind the Thunder for the final playoffs spot in the West.
Next: Milwaukee Bucks at the United Center on Monday, 7 p.m.
- Mike McGraw