Big comeback ... but big deal
Rarely does an exciting victory feel this empty.
The Bulls stretched their preseason winning streak to three Thursday, but they had to rally from 21 points down for the second straight game.
Coach Tom Thibodeau also returned some starters to the floor midway through the fourth quarter, while the Atlanta Hawks stuck mostly with second stringers. Jimmy Butler (29 points) completed the big comeback by draining a 3-pointer at the buzzer, giving the Bulls an ugly 85-84 victory as fans at the United Center celebrated a bit much for preseason.
Butler, Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol came off the bench to help the Bulls outscore Atlanta 38-18 in the fourth quarter. So one obvious question after the game was, why not Derrick Rose down the stretch?
“He (Rose) said to T-nak (head trainer Jeff Tanaka) that he was done,” Thibodeau said. “He was going pretty hard in the third (quarter). So wait another game to make sure.
“He could have played. Actually, I wasn't even sure I was going to put the other guys in because of the way the game was.”
Rose said it was a little strange watching from the bench while Butler took the game-winning shot, but he knows returning from a virtual two-year layoff will be a slow process.
“Be patient. There's no rush at all,” Rose said. “I know how hard I work. I'm not worried at all. When the time is right, it's right. I thought about (going back in), but he didn't call me, so I just have to let it roll.”
Among the positives was obviously Butler playing the role of go-to scorer. He's averaging 18.6 points in the preseason while shooting 60 percent from the field.
“My confidence is high,” Butler said. “That's how you have to play this game. I worked on my game all summer. I was just taking shots I know I can make. I'm really happy with how I'm going right now.”
Noah looked more like his old self, producing 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks in 27 minutes. Like Rose, Noah has been taking it slow after getting his left knee scoped in May.
Through the end of three quarters, though, this was a dismal performance for the home team. The Bulls were 1 of 13 from 3-point land and had 17 turnovers. Atlanta was shooting 36.4 percent from the field, but led 66-47 heading into the fourth.
“A lot of turnovers, a lot of sloppy play. I think our spirit was down,” Noah said. “We've just got to figure out a way to pick each other up, continue to get better. I'm confident because I know this group wants it.”
Nikola Mirotic finally gave the Bulls something from the outside when by hitting a pair of 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter. A lineup also featuring Tony Snell and Taj Gibson trimmed the deficit from 21 points to 12 before the three starters returned.
Butler scored 20 points in the final 6:07. He was fouled on a 3-point shot and hit all 3 free throws to tie the score with 14.1 seconds left. Atlanta worked the clock and point guard Dennis Schroder finished a nice driving layup over Noah to give the Hawks an 84-82 edge with 1.5 seconds left.
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