NBA -- Sweet revenge: Bulls gore Bobcats, 93-85
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 30 Jan 2013
CHICAGO -- After a disappointing letdown, losing 86-73 on the road to the 11-32 Washington Wizards last Saturday night, the Bulls looked forward to coming home and restart their plodding offense.
But playing against the Charlotte Bobcats, the worst team in the NBA at 11-33, was by no means an "easy" assignment. After all, these are the very same Bobcats who came here at the United Center last December 31 and punched the Bulls in the mouth, 91-81.
With a mixture of tight defense and hard work, qualities that have come to define them all season, the Bulls bounced back Monday night at the United Center. And before a sold-out crowd of 21,308 they avenged their December debacle to the Bobcats with a convincing 93-85 decision.
Reserve Jimmy Butler starred with a career-high 19 points and six rebounds, while All-Star center Joakim Noah did his usual heavy lifting and finished with 13 points, 18 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks. Power forward Carlos Boozer had a tame 13 points and three rebounds but Nate Robinson, another explosive Bulls reserve, erupted with 15 points seven rebounds and four assists.
Although the Bulls defense held them to only 39.5 percent from the field (32-of-81 shots), the Bobcats didn't trail by more than 14 points and even came to within 84-78 in the final 2:18 of the fourth quarter.
Having lost the rebounding battle - 48-41 - the Bobcats countered the Bulls size advantage by using their speed on the perimeter. With guards Kemba Walker and Ben Gordon pouring 18 points apiece, Charlotte kept within striking distance, but in the end, the Bobcats couldn't stop a Bulls offense that converted 37 of 78 shots (44.9 percent) and seven of 18 threes (38.9 percent).
A highlight of the game for Bulls fans was the return of all-purpose small forward Luol Deng, who was sidelined for six games by a right hamstring injury. The 6-foot-9 Deng, who also got the All-Star nod this year, tallied 12 points, four rebounds and three assists in 31-minute tour of duty.
"I felt great. I haven't gone full speed like that, so I was a little worried about the change of speed and direction. So I'm happy I was not able to have my setbacks. It felt a little tight, but I didn't feel like how it felt when I first did it," Deng told the Chicago Tribune. (HDS)
Photo: Bulls stalwarts Taj Gibson and Marco Belinelli fight for a loose ball in the Bulls' 93-85 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats Monday night at the United Center.
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