Bulls ride Rose to their fourth straight victory
When the Bulls left town for their seven-game "ice show" road trip, no one thought there was a ghost of a chance they'd come back with a winning record.
Well, stranger things have happened.
After spending a night in Oklahoma City's allegedly haunted luxury hotel, the Bulls rode Derrick Rose to another road victory. They knocked off the Thunder 96-86 on Wednesday night for their fourth straight win.
Besides evening their season record at 22-22, the Bulls clinched a winning record on the trip. They are 4-2 with one game remaining, Friday in New Orleans. Before playing the Hornets in Chicago on Dec. 26, the Bulls were 10-17.
"It just takes time; it takes patience and you have to go through some of the rocky roads to get to a level where you feel comfortable," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said after the game. We're on a good roll right now."
"I remember last month, it was almost like a disaster," added center Joakim Noah said. "I think that it's all about confidence. Winning basketball games on the road builds confidence."
The Skirvin Hotel has gained a reputation among NBA players for being home to strange occurrences. No less an authority than New York Knicks center Eddy Curry said earlier this season he believes there are ghosts at the hotel.
Bulls rookie Taj Gibson told reporters in Oklahoma City that his bathroom door mysteriously slammed shut in the middle of the night. Rose eluded the ghosts by spending the night on the computer in teammate James Johnson's room.
Neither player seemed spooked by the experience. Rose scored 26 points and hit 13 of 23 shots from the field. Gibson grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds.
"It all starts with Derrick Rose," Noah said. "He's just playing huge for us, making the right decisions, staying aggressive offensively. When your point guard is playing like that, it usually leads to good things."
The Bulls jumped to a couple of double-digit leads early in this game, only to be reeled in by the Thunder (24-21). A jumper by rookie James Harden sent Oklahoma City ahead 66-64 with 1:38 remaining in the third quarter.
The game was settled during the next 10 minutes when the Bulls erupted for a 25-7 run. During that time span, the Thunder went 0-for-16 from the field and scored all 7 points at the foul line.
The Bulls finished the run with 3 baskets by Rose and a 3-pointer from Brad Miller to open a gaping 89-73 advantage with 4:56 left.
Thunder star Kevin Durant scored 28 points, just below his season average. But he hit just 7 of 19 shots and scored 10 points in the final four minutes after the Bulls went up by 16.
Durant attempted 15 free throws, while Rose didn't go to the foul line at all for the second straight game.
Miller (14 points) and Tyrus Thomas (13 points) provided a lift off the bench, and the Bulls won despite poor shooting nights from both Kirk Hinrich (2-for-13) and John Salmons (4 points).
Votes from conference coaches were due Tuesday, so it already has been determined if Rose will be selected as an East reserve for the All-Star Game in Dallas. The full team will be announced Thursday on TNT. If he makes it, Rose will be the first Bulls player chosen as an all-star since 1998.
<p class="factboxheadblack">Mike McGraw's game tracker</p> <p class="News">Bulls 96, Thunder 86</p> <p class="News"><b>Kings of the road:</b> The Bulls continued to follow Derrick Rose's lead and won their fourth straight road game against a Western Conference playoff contender. After scoring 26 points against the Thunder, Rose is averaging 26.3 points and shooting an eye-popping 59.3 percent during the winning streak.</p> <p class="News"><b>Pulling even:</b> The Bulls were 10-17 on Dec. 25 but evened their record at 22-22 by winning in Oklahoma City. Luol Deng added 17 points and helped forced Thunder star Kevin Durant into a 7-for-19 shooting night.</p> <p class="News"><b>All-star alert:</b> Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson were both selected to play in the rookie-sophomore game during all-star weekend. But Rose is eyeing a spot in the varsity game. He'll find out Thursday night if he was voted an East reserve by conference coaches.</p>