Playing shorthanded suits Bulls just fine
There can be a silver lining to playing short-handed.
Three starters were out of the lineup on Saturday and out of necessity, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau passed around some extended minutes to the guys who were healthy.
Lo and behold, extra time and more shots made for an efficient offensive game, particularly for Kyle Korver and Carlos Boozer.
Utah's miserable defense also played a part, but either way, the depleted Bulls rolled past the Jazz 111-97 at the United Center. After losing on Thursday to Orlando, the Bulls extended their streak of regular-season games without dropping two in a row to 75.
“We hate losing,” Boozer said. “Especially at home on our court. Everybody took that loss pretty hard. We came out tonight with a greater sense of urgency.”
The Bulls (34-9) played without starters Luol Deng (wrist), Richard Hamilton (shoulder) and Joakim Noah (sick), while backup point guard C.J. Watson missed his third straight game with a sprained ankle.
This rivals the Jan. 21 game against Charlotte when the Bulls played without Noah, Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson and John Lucas III. Coincidentally, that was also the night Deng tore a ligament in his left wrist.
Boozer played more than 41 minutes against his old team, beating his previous season-high by 7 seconds, and got rolling offensively. He knocked down 13-of-17 shots from the field for 27 points and 8 rebounds.
Late in the first quarter, Thibodeau sent Brian Scalabrine to the scorer's table to check in for Boozer. But a time out was called before the substitution could be made and when play resumed, Scalabrine was back on the bench.
“He knocked a couple shots in, so I wanted to see how far it could go,” Thibodeau said. “I thought he had a good rhythm going. Once he gets in rhythm, he's a great shooter from 17 feet. You have to close on him and he has the ability to put it down on the floor.
“Could he do it (play 41 minutes) every night? Probably not, but I think for a shooter, sometimes I think it is good. A guy can get in rhythm like that and he did.”
Boozer is averaging just under 30 minutes per game on the season, but refused to complain about that number.
“I think Thibs has done a great job with my minutes this season,” Boozer said. “I'm fresh for the stretch, fresh for the playoffs. We're a deep team.”
Korver ended the Magic game by missing 5 good looks from 3-point range in the final 4:29. As a starter on Saturday, Korver got the 3-pointer to fall early and often. He knocked down 6-of-11 attempts from long range for 26 points, while adding 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
“I missed 5 3s. It's not like I shot that great,” Korver joked. “I'm trying to be a good all-around player. I think Thibs demands that. I watch all the film I can and try to do better.”
After the rough ending on Thursday, Korver took some old advice from Utah assistant Jeff Hornacek and stayed out of the gym on Friday.
Derrick Rose, meanwhile, produced 24 points and 13 assists, with most of his baskets coming on a full sprint while weaving through the Jazz defense.
In the third quarter, the Bulls went more than eight minutes without missing a shot, hitting 11 in a row during that stretch. When the game ended, though, Thibodeau still had a complaint.
“Defensively, I didn't like us at all,” he said. “That's something we have to correct.”
mmcgraw@dailyherald.com