Chicago Bulls roll to fifth straight win
Seems like just yesterday we were wondering why the Chicago Bulls couldn't figure out how to execute Fred Hoiberg's higher-scoring, faster-paced offense.
A glance at the scoreboard told a different story Tuesday night. The Bulls are now scoring up a storm and used their offensive skills to post a 117-106 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at the United Center, stretching their winning streak to five games.
Jimmy Butler was again the offensive star, finishing with 32 points, giving him a two-game total of 74. Butler also dished out 10 assists, tying a career-high.
“It's fun to see, it's exciting. I'm happy for him,” Derrick Rose said. “I don't really got to do too much when I'm out there because he's taking great shots and making great plays.”
Rose returned to the court after missing three games with a hamstring issue. Rose had a couple of vintage 2011-style drives to the basket in the first half, added some outside jumpers in the second half and finished with 16 points.
“There was a lot of pressure just coming in and the team is like 4-0 (actually 3-0) without you,” Rose said. “Coming in as a point guard, you're just trying to feel the game. Jimmy had it hot. … He's balling right now. So keep going to him until he doesn't want the ball anymore.”
The Bulls (21-12) scored 115 points Sunday in Toronto and have now reached at least 102 in eight straight games. Perhaps it's no coincidence they've gone 6-2 during that stretch.
The Bulls hadn't scored 115 points in consecutive regulation games since Feb. 16-17, 2010, a back-to-back against the New York Knicks when Vinny Del Negro was head coach.
This is what the Bulls had in mind when they hired Hoiberg to shift the culture from Tom Thibodeau's slow-paced defensive system to more of a Golden State Warriors-style point-fest.
“I think the big thing is we're playing unselfish basketball,” Hoiberg said. “It's not sticking nearly as much as it was early in the year. The big thing, when we swing that ball side to side and attack after the defense shifts, we're so much more effective and that's been a key to our numbers going up.”
It's also good to have a lineup full of confident scorers. Butler literally picked up where he left off Sunday in Toronto when he scored a franchise-record 40 points in the second half. He had 20 points in the first half against Milwaukee.
To recap, Butler totaled 60 points in four consecutive quarters, hitting 22 of 30 shots in the process.
Pau Gasol was practically automatic with his spot-up jumpers. He hit 10 of 14 shots from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers, on his way to 26 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Taj Gibson also had a big night with 11 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks.
After losing to Brooklyn at home Dec. 21, the backboards seemed to be caving in on the Bulls. But fortunes turned quickly when the ball found the basket.
“It wasn't what I said or what anybody else said. It was what we said together in that locker room,” Butler said. “We have a really good team on paper. If we don't play for one another, if we don't stick together, we're not a very good team.”
• Get the latest Bulls news via Twitter by following @McGrawDHBulls.