Bulls able to hold off Nuggets 94-92
When the first question at a coach's postgame news conference is to explain a curious late-game strategy, that's usually not a good sign.
But everything worked out well at the end for the Bulls on Monday night.
They pulled out a 94-92 victory over Denver at the United Center after surviving a 19-2 Nuggets run in the second half and a good look at a tying 3-pointer in the waning seconds.
When Joakim Noah split a pair of free throws and left the Bulls with a 91-88 lead with 12.9 seconds left, Luol Deng chose to foul Carmelo Anthony almost immediately. The Denver forward knocked down both free throws with 11 seconds on the clock to trim the lead to 1.
The Bulls got the ball to their best free-throw shooter, and Kyle Korver knocked down both shots to make it 93-90 with 8.5 seconds remaining. On Denver's second chance to tie the score, the Bulls did not foul and watched Arron Afflalo miss a decent look at a corner 3-pointer.
Why foul the first time, but not the second time?
“Usually under 10 (seconds), back to the basket, we'll try to use the foul to not allow them to get the attempt,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.
“But you've got to be careful when they face the basket. Facing the basket, they can get into the shooting motion. You just have to be smart about it, but they got a shot that we'd rather they didn't get.”
Deng rebounded the Afflalo miss and hit the clinching free throw with a second left. Denver dropped in an unguarded layup to provide the final margin.
The Bulls (3-3) were sloppy throughout this game but seemed to gain control with a 20-4 run to end the second quarter, putting them up 50-43 at halftime.
By late in the third quarter, the home team was coasting along with a 68-58 advantage when Anthony (32 points) decided to show everyone why he's in such demand.
The Nuggets star scored the final 10 points of the quarter and a couple of minutes into the fourth Denver suddenly led 77-70.
That's when Derrick Rose (18 points) snapped out of his offensive slump by blowing past Ty Lawson for a pair of lay-ins. Rose put the Bulls ahead for good with 3:40 left on an impressive driving hook over Anthony after absorbing some body contact.
Rose's step-back, 14-foot jumper sent the Bulls ahead 90-86 with 1:08 remaining, and they had two chances to increase the lead. But Anthony thwarted Deng on a fastbreak and Keith Bogans threw a bad pass that led to an Anthony layup, bringing Denver within 90-88 with 15.3 seconds on the clock.
Rose hit just 3 of 16 shots through the first three quarters, then went 4-for-5 from the field in the fourth.
“Their defense was very, very good, I thought,” Thibodeau said. “(Rose) has shown that he can control the game in a lot of difference ways. When we got into the open floor, that's really what got us going.
“I thought he made a number of really good passes that led to wide-open shots that we missed. I want him to continue to trust the pass. I think by doing that, it makes us a lot harder to be guarded.”
Noah (19 rebounds, 13 points) posted another double-double. Deng finished with 17 points, Taj Gibson had 16, and Keith Bogans delivered his first double-digit scoring game of the season with 10 points.
Anthony, the subject of endless trade rumors the past few months, received some cheers at the United Center.
“Anytime you're in someone else's arena and you get cheers, it feels good,” he said.
Mike McGraw's game tracker
<P>Bulls 94, Nuggets 92</P>
<P><B>Just enough to win:</B> The Bulls fell behind by 7 points early in the fourth quarter after allowing Denver to ring up a 19-2 run. The home team finally rallied behind Derrick Rose (18 points), who hit just 7 of 21 shots overall but missed just once in the final quarter.</P>
<P><B>Owning the boards: </B>Joakim Noah delivered his sixth straight double-double, finishing with 19 rebounds and 13 points. Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony demonstrated what all the fuss is about by scoring 32 points.</P>
<P><B>Rose rules:</B> Denver coach George Karl on defending Derrick Rose: “Basically, we try to put a wall in front of him. That's three guys getting in front and making him give it up or forcing him to take jumpers.”</P>