Pargo, Gibson lead Bulls rout of Nets 106-83
This is survival weekend for the Bulls. Following Thursday's brutal home loss to Miami, their margin for error is minuscule and the Bulls can't afford to take a loss to one of the NBA's worst teams.
They made it through the first step unscathed, rolling past New Jersey 106-83 on Saturday night at the United Center. Now the Bulls head to Auburn Hills, Mich., to take on the Detroit Pistons, who have dropped 14 of their last 16.
"I think we played with a little edge to us tonight," center Joakim Noah said. "They're not a great team, but it doesn't matter. We've lost to this team before, so it was important for us to come with the right mentality, and we did.
Thanks to Carmelo Anthony's shot at the buzzer to beat Toronto on Friday, the Bulls (34-38) find themselves just 11/2 games behind the Raptors for the final playoff spot in the East. Toronto plays at Miami and Charlotte on Sunday and Monday, so the Bulls could make up ground quickly if they can beat Detroit.
"I think we can go on a little run," guard Derrick Rose said. "Try to get to the playoffs - that's the goal for this year. We have a short time to do it, but I think we can do it."
The Bulls had reason to be wary, since they lost Dec. 8 to the Nets, who owned a 1-19 record at the time. For their second trip to Chicago, New Jersey actually carried a two-game winning streak.
Center Brook Lopez (37 points) and forward Yi Jianlian (31 points) both produced career-high scoring nights Friday against Detroit. On Saturday at the United Center, those players scored 7 points each.
The Nets (9-64) did put a scare into the crowd when Jarvis Hayes started the third quarter by knocking down 3 straight 3-point baskets. A Bulls lead that had been 21 points was suddenly down to 53-46.
The Bulls wasted no time putting away New Jersey, though, scoring the next 10 points. By the time the third quarter was over, the Bulls had increased the lead to 26.
"Kind of an easy game," Rose added. "Came out, did what we were supposed to do, and got an easy win. We've just got to carry it on to tomorrow."
With rookie forward James Johnson out with a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his right foot, coach Vinny Del Negro turned to a small starting lineup. Jannero Pargo got the call to start with Kirk Hinrich, while Rose usually guarded the small forward spot.
It worked out fine, with Pargo scoring a season-high 27 points. He started the night shooting a disappointing 34.2 percent for the season but knocked down 10 of 19 shots Saturday.
"I think all year, I've been thinking too much and not really playing my game," Pargo said. "Coming into the game tonight, I said, 'Forget it, I'm just going to play the game and take whatever's there.' Fortunately, I was able to come through."
Rookie power forward Taj Gibson delivered another impressive performance, finishing with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks in just 26 minutes of action. Gibson collected 14 points in the first quarter alone and sent both Yi and Kris Humphries to the bench with early foul trouble.
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Mike McGraw's game tracker</b></p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Bulls 106, Nets 83</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Jersey, sure: New Jersey brought a two-game winning streak to the United Center, but the Bulls weren't about to go 0-2 against the lowly Nets this season. The visitors still need to 1 more victory in their final nine games to reach the 10-win mark.</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Unusual scorers: Jannero Pargo played his best game of the year, knocking down 10 of 19 shots for a season-high 27 points. Rookie Taj Gibson was the game's best big man, producing 22 points and 13 rebounds in just 26 minutes of action.</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Pointing to Pistons: Derrick Rose on the strategy for playing the Pistons on Sunday in Auburn Hills, Mich.: "Come out early and attack them. They're a team, if we get them down, I think they're going to quit."</p>