Pistons-Bulls Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Jan 08 2012 5:04PM

The Chicago Bulls had their season-best six-game winning steak end thanks in part to a poor defensive effort during their last game.

A visit from the offensively-challenged Detroit Pistons could help them get back on track.

Looking to stay unbeaten at home, the Bulls try for a 13th consecutive victory over a Pistons team hoping to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat Monday night.

Chicago (7-2), which ranks among the stingiest teams in the NBA with an average of just 88.7 points surrendered, gave up its highest scoring output of the season during Saturday's 109-94 loss at Atlanta. The Bulls allowed the Hawks to score 27 fast break points and shoot 56.6 percent from the field - the highest mark by an opponent in almost a year.

"In this league, you usually get what you deserve," coach Tom Thibodeau told the team's official website.

"For us our defense is so important because it gets us in the open floor. This is the NBA. You've got to come every night. You've got to bring great intensity and if you let down just a little bit this is what happens."

Chicago has to like its chances of regrouping against the Pistons (2-6), who are scoring a league-low 84.3 points per game. Detroit has averaged 78.7 points during a three-game skid that started with Wednesday's 99-83 loss to the Bulls.

Chicago has dominated the Pistons of late, outscoring them by an average of 10.1 points during its 12-game run in the series.

Detroit's lack of offensive prowess was on display during Saturday's 103-80 loss to New York. Playing without guard Rodney Stuckey (groin) and forwards Austin Daye (right ankle) and Charlie Villanueva (left ankle), the Pistons shot 37.2 percent from the floor and committed a season-high 21 turnovers.

"This is going to be a series of one step forward, two steps back – or two steps forward, one step back," coach Lawrence Frank told the team's official website. "This is not representative of who we want to be. We all have to own it, starting with me. This is going to be a long season and we have to figure out all the things that are going to be a part of the solution."

Guard Ben Gordon, whose average of 15.6 points is tied with center Greg Monroe for the team lead, was held to 12 and committed a career-worst nine turnovers. Forward Jonas Jerebko had a season-low four points on 1-of-6 shooting.

"It's very disappointing," Jerebko said. "We know we can play so much better than this. We've just got to get back to it and go play Chicago."

Gordon, who spent the first five years of his career with the Bulls, is averaging just 6.0 points on 30.0 percent shooting over his four most recent meetings against his former team.

Guard Brandon Knight has provided a spark while making back-to-back starts in place of the injured Stuckey. The eighth overall pick in June's draft had a team-high 19 points Saturday and is averaging 15.5 points when playing at least 25 minutes.

It's unknown if Stuckey, Villanueva or Daye will be available Monday.

Former longtime Piston Richard Hamilton was held out for the fourth time in five games Saturday with a sore groin and is also questionable. He scored 14 points against Detroit last week.

Reigning league MVP Derrick Rose had just eight points versus Atlanta, snapping his 66-game run of scoring in double figures. He is, however, averaging 34.0 points in his last two home games versus Detroit.

The Bulls, 2-0 at the United Center, haven't lost to the Pistons at home since a 95-87 defeat Feb. 24, 2006.

Boozer leads Bulls past Pistons 92-68

By JAY COHEN
Posted Jan 09 2012 11:54PM

CHICAGO (AP) Derrick Rose was pulled with 4 minutes left, and Carlos Boozer quickly joined him on the sideline. Luol Deng was a cheerleader for most of the fourth quarter.

The Chicago Bulls' latest victory over the Detroit Pistons featured plenty of valuable rest for the team's biggest stars.

Boozer scored 23 points and Chicago beat Detroit 92-68 on Monday night for its 13th consecutive win against the Pistons.

Derrick Rose added 22 points and eight assists for Chicago, which bounced back from Saturday night's lackluster 109-94 loss at Atlanta. Ronnie Brewer finished with 12 points, and Boozer also had eight rebounds.

"It's just defense," Rose said. "If every night can be like this where we played defense and get out and run, it would be easy. But it's been hard. We tried to come back from the last game, where it was embarrassing to play in a game like that, and just try to keep playing. That's what we did tonight."

The Bulls improved to 4-1 during their first stretch of nine games in 12 days in 30 years. They play again each of the next two nights, hitting the road to face Minnesota on Tuesday before returning home to face Washington on Wednesday.

"It's more like AAU except it's in the NBA," said Boozer, recalling his travels with his club team in high school. "So give you a chance to flash back then get back to work. Honestly, we would rather play the games than the alternative."

Greg Monroe had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Detroit, which has lost four straight games. Rookie Brandon Knight scored 13 points, and Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon had 11 apiece.

The Pistons have yet to crack 100 points in a game this season and their average of 82.4 points is the lowest in the NBA. This was their lowest scoring game of the season.

"I definitely saw improved defense," coach Lawrence Frank said. "We got back in transition much better. On offense we were making the right plays. But when you're playing a high-end team like this, you have to play four quarters."

Chicago led 68-59 after three and put the game away with an 18-3 run to begin the fourth quarter. Rose had a jumper and an emphatic dunk during the surge.

The big fourth-quarter run led to chants for seldom-used reserve Brian Scalabrine, and he entered with 2:43 left. His fadeaway jumper with 14.6 seconds remaining led to a wild ovation from the United Center crowd and delighted the Bulls' bench.

"I liked the way we started the game on both ends," Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Our ball movement was good. It got us into a rhythm. Carlos played a terrific game and our bench came in and gave us a lift."

Detroit closed the first quarter with a 9-0 run to tie it at 21, but the Bulls responded with a 9-0 run of their own. Kyle Korver capped the surge with a 3-pointer after Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko left him open on the wing.

Chicago, which was upset with its defense during the loss at Atlanta, held Detroit scoreless for the first 5:52 of the second. The Pistons missed their first eight shots of the quarter.

The Bulls led by as many as 11 in the first half and it could have been more. Brewer missed an easy putback with 26.9 seconds left and Prince scored on a running layup to trim Chicago's lead to 43-34 at the break.

The Pistons were without guard Rodney Stuckey (sore groin) and forward Charlie Villanueva (sore right ankle). Stuckey and Villanueva have missed three consecutive games and are day to day.

"Every team has a lot of games and that's just the reality," Frank said, referring to the truncated schedule stemming from the long NBA lockout. "That's the reason why guys are getting hurt. There's a lot of games in a short of time, without the same previous training practices. It happened in the NFL and it happened here. It is what it is."

Chicago played without C.J. Watson, who is out with a strained left elbow, and former Pistons star Richard Hamilton, who was sidelined again with a sore left groin. The 6-foot-7 Hamilton, the Bulls' biggest offseason acquisition, has played in just one of Chicago's last six games - a 99-83 road win against the Pistons on Wednesday.

NOTES: F Austin Daye returned to the court after missing Detroit's previous game with a right ankle injury. ... Chicago is 5-0 this season in the opener of back-to-back contests. ... The last time the Bulls played nine games in 12 days was Jan. 26-Feb. 6, 1972. They went 6-3 in that stretch. ... The Pistons' last victory over Chicago was a 95-87 decision at the Palace on Dec. 23, 2008. Detroit also is winless in its last 11 games at the United Center.

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Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap

Notebook: Bulls 92, Pistons 68

By Kent McDill, for NBA.com
Posted Monday January 9, 2012 11:22PM

THE FACTS: The Chicago Bulls, with the league's second-best defense, easily defeated the Detroit Pistons, who have the league's worst offense, 92-68 Monday at the United Center. After a 21-21 first quarter, the Bulls held the Pistons scoreless for the first six minutes of the second quarter and took control, never to be challenged again. Carlos Boozer had 23 points and Derrick Rose had 22 for the Bulls. Greg Monroe led the Pistons with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "If every night was like this, where we played defense and get out and run, it would be easy."
-- Bulls guard Derrick Rose.

THE STAT: After shooting better than 50 percent (nine for 16) in the first quarter, the Pistons were 19 for 55 (34.5 percent) the rest of the way. They scored only 13 points in the second quarter.

THE STAT II: Rose had eight assists to go with his 22 points, and is averaging 8.4 assists per game. If he maintains that average he would have the second highest average in team history behind Guy Rodgers' 11.2 assists per game in 1966-67, the club's first year of existence.

TURNING POINT: The Pistons missed the first eight shots of the second quarter and committed three turnovers, turning a 21-21 game into a 30-21 game with six minutes left in the half. Detroit got no closer than five points the rest of the game.

INJURY UPDATE: Bulls guard Richard Hamilton sat again for the fifth time in six games because of a sore groin (although he did dress). Bulls guard C.J. Watson remained out with a sore elbow. Detroit forward Austin Daye returned to action after missing one game with a sore right ankle. But Rodney Stuckey (groin) and Charlie Villanueva (ankle) did not play again.

HOT: Bulls forward Carlos Boozer has been playing very well, and had his fourth straight game shooting at least 50 percent from the field with a nine-for-13 night (23 points). He also had eight rebounds and two blocked shots.

NOT: Jason Maxiell, the first man off the bench for the Pistons, went one for 12 from the field Monday. He tied Tayshaun Price for the team lead in shots taken but Prince managed to make five of his attempts.

ROOKIE WATCH: In his third game as a temporary starter in place of injured Rodney Stuckey, Detroit rookie guard Brandon Knight was six for 10 from the field for 13 points. He did have four turnovers to go with just one assist.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Luc Longley, the starting center for the three-time champion Bulls from 1996-98, was in the stands visiting with his wife and two daughters from his native Australia.

GOOD MOVE: With the Bulls playing the first of three games in three nights, coach Tom Thibodeau played Derrick Rose just 33 minutes and Luol Deng just 34.

NOTABLE: Although the Bulls are playing their only back-to-back-to-back this week, they are doing so against three of the worst teams in the league, starting with the win over Detroit followed by a game Tuesday at Minnesota and a home game Wednesday against Washington.

UP NEXT: For the Bulls, Tuesday at Timberwolves, Wednesday vs. Wizards, Friday at Celtics. For the Pistons, Tuesday vs. Mavericks, Thursday at Bucks, Friday at Bobcats.

• Pistons: --
• Bulls: --

• Pistons: --
• Bulls: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: United Center, Chicago, IL
• Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #61 Courtney Kirkland, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 21530
• Duration: 2:08