Above-average Joes bring down Bobcats
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Bulls received a combined 33 points from two Joes at the power forward spot and rallied for a 109-97 road victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday.
Veteran Joe Smith delivered 16 points, while rookie Joakim Noah scored 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. Noah's total was a career-high and just his fourth double-figure scoring game this season.
"Tonight, I thought that his interior passing to Ben Wallace was really a big lift for us," coach Jim Boylan said of Noah. "We got some easy baskets in the half-court game, combined with some of our perimeter guys knocking down some shots. So we had a nice combination of inside and outside."
Ben Gordon led the Bulls with 22 points, his fourth straight game with at least 20 since returning to a sixth-man role. Luol Deng added 21 points and 13 rebounds as the Bulls (12-18) improved to 3-1 under Boylan.
They'll have to make a quick turnaround before facing Portland, the NBA's hottest team, tonight at the United Center. The Blazers have won 14 of their last 15 games.
Against Charlotte, the Bulls trailed 67-55 with 8:29 remaining in the third quarter before getting their act together. Smith scored 8 points in a 20-8 run that tied the score at 75-75.
The Bobcats (11-19) led 79-78 heading into the fourth quarter, then the Bulls took command by scoring the next 7 points. Wallace's dunk off a pass from Noah gave the visitors the lead for good.
Noah added a couple of tip-ins and a post spin, then finished his night with an athletic two-hand dunk and 3-point play off a pass from Kirk Hinrich.
The Bulls' young big men have seen their playing time drop since Boylan decided to stick mainly with the veterans. But the interim coach had no choice but to keep Noah on the court on this night.
"He's got great hands. He's got great feet," Boylan said. "He can cover smaller people, he can cover big people. So he's a versatile guy to have on your bench. You can use him in a lot of different ways."
This comeback was reminiscent of the Bulls' 91-82 victory at Charlotte on Dec. 5, but not quite as dramatic. In the previous meeting, the Bulls trailed 60-49 with a minute left in the third quarter, then outscored the Bobcats 42-22 the rest of the way.
The Bulls struggled defensively in Wednesday's first half, allowing Charlotte to shoot 51.2 percent from the field and pile up 57 points. The Bobcats drove strong to the basket and frequently beat the Bulls' defense down the court.
The second half was a different story as Charlotte scored 40 points and shot 37.8 percent from the field. Jason Richardson led the Bobcats with 28 points.
"I'm really pleased with the way we competed," Boylan said. "Realizing that we were struggling a little bit in the first half, made an adjustment in the second half mentally and came out with a ton of energy and made some good things happen."
Tonight's tipoff
Bulls vs. Portland Trail Blazers at the United Center, 7 p.m.
TV: TNT
Radio: WMVP 1000-AM
Update: These teams might be a little weary, since both are finishing stretches of four games in five nights. Portland's 13-game winning streak ended with Monday's 111-101 loss at Utah, but the Blazers won 90-79 Wednesday at Minnesota.
Players to watch: Second-year stars Brandon Roy (19.2 ppg) and LaMarcus Aldridge (18.2) are the top scorers, but the Blazers have seen impressive improvement from SF Travis Outlaw (11.9) and SG Martell Webster (10.8).
Next: Sacramento Kings at the United Center, 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
-- Mike McGraw