Bulls need 1 more win to end string of circus misery

With a victory over Denver or Sacramento this weekend, the Bulls could record a franchise milestone.

They would clinch their first winning record on the annual circus road trip for the first time since the 1997-98 season.

The Bulls improved to 3-2 on the trek by rallying from a 23-point deficit to outlast Phoenix 123-115 in double overtime Wednesday night.

“This is our team. There's no quit in them. They'll keep fighting,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but I think we're moving in the right direction.”

The visitors trailed by 18 at the 5:23 mark of the third quarter and didn't take their first lead until Derrick Rose (35 points) scored the first basket of the first overtime.

Rose tied the score by hitting 2 free throws with 14.7 seconds left in regulation and again with a back-door reverse lay-in with 0.1 seconds left in the first extra session.

“It wasn't going our way, but we're the type of team that's grinding and we're never going to stop,” Rose said after the game. “We could be down 20 points, 30 points; we're not going to want to be in that type of a situation, but we were forced to be in that situation by the way we were playing. We were willing to come back.”

Between 1999 and 2009, the Bulls were a dismal 10-61 during the annual November road trip, but not every journey was a complete circus train wreck. They went 3-3 in 2005-06 and 3-4 in 2008-09.

This was the Bulls' second 20-point comeback of the season. They rallied from 21 down to beat Detroit in the home opener.

Gibson's ironman streak ends:

No matter if he was suffering from plantar fasciitis in his feet last season or a pinched nerve in his right foot earlier this week, forward Taj Gibson always found a way to play. He shook off the latest foot problem to produced 16 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 98-91 loss to the Lakers.

But Gibson finally missed the first game of his two-year NBA career in Phoenix. He was a late scratch because of a sore right foot and ankle, but he is expected back soon.

“I don't know the exact extent of it. It's the same foot and it's sore,” coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “He probably could have played. We just want to make sure he gets the rest where he's fine.”

Johnson gives team kick start:

James Johnson hadn't played in five straight games, but he gave the Bulls a big lift against the Suns. The second-year forward came off the bench to hit 5 of 6 shots for 12 points. He also collected 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer that brought the Bulls within 99-97 with 2:20 left in the fourth quarter, then tied the score on a fastbreak dunk with 45.6 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, he fouled out while trying to contest a Steve Nash jumper on the next possession.

“James has actually been practicing very, very well,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “His approach has been great. He's putting in a lot of extra time, so I have a lot of confidence in him. His athleticism really stood out. We were flat. I thought he gave us a big lift.”

Bull horns:

Kyle Korver played 47 minutes against Phoenix, 1 short of his career high, and scored a season-high 24 points. … Given his first start of the season in place of Taj Gibson, Ronnie Brewer scored just 3 points and didn't play a lot, but he opened the second overtime with consecutive blocked shots. ... Coach Tom Thibodeau is hoping Carlos Boozer will be cleared to practice when the team returns to the Berto Center on Monday.