Deng 'off the charts' for Bulls
Before heading home for Thanksgiving, the Bulls refused to give any tanks.
They snapped a four-game losing streak and won for the first time since Derrick Rose was lost for the season with another knee injury. Strong defense in the second half and a 19-0 fourth quarter run produced a 99-79 victory over Detroit at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
“I thought the second half, once we got our defensive intensity going, the game changed for us,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters after the game. “They're tough because of that size on the boards. I think we had to adjust to the physicality of the game.”
The Bulls (7-7) outscored the Pistons 48-26 in the second half and have now won 19 of the last 20 meetings against Detroit. After a brief stop home, the Bulls will finish the six-game circus road trip Saturday at Cleveland.
Luol Deng was the star of the game, finishing with 27 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, while hitting 11 of 17 shots from the field. This was on a day when another Deng trade rumor (to the Cavs for Dion Waiters) hit the Internet.
“Luol was just off the charts the whole game,” Thibodeau said. “You can't talk about how important he is to the team and what a good player he is because he's so strong in both areas of the game. He's a great offensive player. He's a great defensive player.”
Taj Gibson scored a career-high 23 points, hitting 11 of 13 shots. Rookie Tony Snell, starting his second straight game, scored 13 points and played 37 minutes.
With Jimmy Butler sidelined by a turf toe injury, Snell is getting a nice opportunity. He barely played during the first 10 games of the season.
“The best thing about him is how serious he is. Even when he wasn't playing, his getting ready to play told me how serious he was,” Thibodeau said. “The questions he asked. On game days at home, he just stays in the arena. He's there all the time. Those type of guys, when they get opportunities, they're ready and they usually take advantage.”
It seemed as though the Bulls' season was all but over after they lost Monday to Utah, the league's worst team. But this game was a reminder of how soft the competition is in the Eastern Conference. After Wednesday's games, just two teams in the East have winning records — Indiana and Miami — while the Bulls and Atlanta are at .500.
It remains to be seen if the Bulls will try to maximize their success this season or break the team apart, knowing that a higher draft pick might be more beneficial to the future. After this victory, Thibodeau made it clear which direction he's leaning.
“The Clipper game, we were in a funk. Other than that, our guys were good,” Thibodeau said. “They've been through this. They know what we have to do. They love Derick. We all love Derrick.
“We have to support him, but we've got to do what we have to do. That's lock in on every opponent, put everything we have into each and every day, concentrate on improvement and be ready to play. If we do that and we have a great understanding of what goes into winning, we can win.
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