Bulls, Deng stage big comeback, top Bucks 83-81
All this situation needed was some ridiculous Kobe Bryant trade rumors and it would have felt like 2007 all over again.
That was a year when the Bulls left the preseason brimming with confidence and carrying plenty of reasons why they should contend for one of the top playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. On paper, anyway.
Then the season began and the Bulls played uptight, out of sync and couldn't knock down the easiest of shots.
Tuesday night's home game against Milwaukee looked like repeat history - or at least a resumption of the Bulls' horrid fourth quarter in Miami on Sunday.
The Bulls hit 4 of 16 shots in the opening quarter, with 8 turnovers, and quickly fell behind by 13 points. It pretty much stayed that way until late in the third quarter, when veteran guard Jannero Pargo shook off a sore back and sparked a huge comeback.
The Bulls went from 18 down to 7 up during a 13-minute stretch before escaping with an 83-81 victory at the United Center. Luol Deng had an impressive night, with 24 points and a career-high 20 rebounds. Tyrus Thomas did not play due to an illness.
"Overall, I feel we showed a lot of character after playing so poorly in the first half," center Joakim Noah said. "It was ugly as heck, though."
When rookie point guard Brandon Jennings buried a 3-pointer with 5:39 left in the third quarter, the Bucks opened a 56-38 lead that seemed completely insurmountable. Yes, the Bulls had just 38 points at the time.
About a minute before Jennings' basket, though, Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro dug into the bench and sent Pargo onto the floor. Before the game, Del Negro said he'd prefer not to play Pargo because of a persistent back injury.
As it turned out, Pargo almost single-handedly saved the Bulls from an embarrassing loss. He answered Jennings' shot with a 3-pointer of his own, jump-starting an 18-4 run to end the quarter.
During his first stint with the Bulls from 2004-06, Pargo cemented his reputation as a player who can come off the bench cold and quickly catch fire.
"I kind of got prepared mentally, seeing the way we were playing," Pargo said. "We were going to need a spark somehow. I got a hot pack (for his back) in the second half. Whenever the team needs me to come in and be a spark and change the game, I'm willing to do that."
Appropriately, the Bulls finally took their first lead of the night on another Pargo 3-pointer with 6:04 remaining. He ended up hitting 4 of 5 shots for 10 points in just 14 minutes.
Whatever Pargo brought to the floor, it seemed to rub off on Derrick Rose, who scored 10 of his 16 points in the final 6:40.
Rose's dunk off a pass from Brad Miller put the Bulls up 82-75 with 1:28 remaining. A pair of runners by Jennings (25 points) brought the Bucks within 82-81 with 22.6 seconds left, then Miller made just 1 of 2 free throws.
Trailing by 2, Jennings tried to pull up for a jumper but had it blocked by Rose. After Noah missed a pair of free throws, Milwaukee got one more chance. Ersan Ilyasova's 3-point attempt over Deng fell about a foot short of the rim.
"It was a fortunate win, to be honest with you," Del Negro said. "We didn't play well at all in the first half."
Bulls 83, Bucks 81
Pargo and a prayer: The Bulls played absolutely awful for 21/2 quarters, then veteran guard Jannero Pargo (10 points in 14 minutes) got the call off the bench and they quickly erased an 18-point deficit. Just call Jannero the Human Jumper Cable.
Deng delivers: Forward Luol Deng was serious about erasing all of those injury concerns. He piled up 24 points and a career-high 20 rebounds in a relentless performance.
Collapse avoided: After all that work to erase the deficit, the Bulls nearly coughed up a 7-point lead in the final 1:20. The Bucks had two chances at the end trailing by 2, but Derrick Rose blocked a Brandon Jennings jumper and Ersan Ilyasova air-balled a last-second 3-pointer.