Pistons-Bulls Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Jan 23 2013 1:33AM

The Chicago Bulls have performed admirably in the first half of this season without star point guard Derrick Rose. A second straight absence from leading scorer Luol Deng also didn't affect the team too much last time out.

With Deng's status unknown, the Bulls will seek their fifth win in six games Wednesday night by adding to their dominance of the Detroit Pistons.

Heading into the midway point of this season, Chicago (24-16) is in fifth place in the Eastern Conference despite not having Rose on the floor due to a torn ACL. The 2010-11 MVP took the "next step" in his rehab Tuesday by taking contact in scrimmages against teammates.

"We want him to concentrate on the rehab and the team to continue to concentrate on improvement and our next opponent," Thibodeau said.

Deng, meanwhile, has missed the past two games with a strained right hamstring but the Bulls pulled away in the fourth quarter Monday for a 95-83 home win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Kirk Hinrich had a season-best 22 points to help Chicago bounce back from an overtime defeat to Memphis in Saturday's opener of a four-game homestand.

Joakim Noah had 13 rebounds, a season-high six blocks and six points after being benched for the final 22:53 in the loss to the Grizzlies. Jimmy Butler had 10 points, eight rebounds and helped hold Kobe Bryant to 7-of-22 shooting in his second straight start in place of Deng.

"It's a great win but it's on to the next one," Butler said. "We never want to lose any games, two games in a row or any game at home."

The Bulls haven't lost to the Pistons (16-25) since Dec. 23, 2008, having won the past 16 matchups. That's tied for the league's second-longest active streak against one opponent.

Chicago has also won 12 consecutive regular-season matchups at the United Center since a 95-87 loss on Feb. 24, 2006. The Bulls lost twice at home to Detroit during a six-game defeat in the 2007 East semifinals.

Chicago, though, wasn't exactly dominant in the early going in the only matchup with the Pistons this season on Dec. 7. The Bulls trailed by as many as 17 in the second quarter but rallied for a 108-104 road victory with Noah providing career highs of 30 points and 23 rebounds.

Carlos Boozer contributed 24 points and heads into this game averaging 22.0 during Chicago's 8-3 start to the new year. He also has 11 of his conference-best 23 double-doubles over his last 13 contests.

In his three seasons with the Bulls, Boozer is averaging 21.8 points on 62.3 percent shooting in eight games against the Pistons, his best scoring performance versus any team in that span.

Detroit enters this matchup having won back-to-back games after dropping three of four. Brandon Knight led six players in double figures with 18 points in Tuesday's 105-90 victory in Orlando, and Rodney Stuckey had 14 after being held to single digits in four straight contests.

"We know that if we play with a lot of fight and a lot of effort every game, we'll get some great wins," said rookie Andre Drummond, who is averaging 12.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in his last three games. "We weren't trying to do anything fancy. We were just finishing plays."

Stuckey had a season-high 24 points in the loss to Chicago in December, and 32 in a 100-94 overtime defeat to the Bulls in Detroit on April 15.

Robinson rallies Bulls past Pistons 85-82

Posted Jan 24 2013 12:32AM

CHICAGO (AP) Devoid of energy and headed toward another head-scratching home loss, the Chicago Bulls needed an answer.

Enter Nate Robinson.

The spunky guard had 11 points and seven assists in 21 minutes off the bench, leading a furious fourth-quarter comeback that carried Chicago past the Detroit Pistons 85-82 on Wednesday night.

Joakim Noah sacrificed his body to save a loose ball, which Marco Belinelli converted into a game-winning basket with 7 seconds left. Tayshaun Prince and Rodney Stuckey each missed potential tying 3-pointers at the other end.

Robinson put the Bulls on his back, scoring nine straight points early in the fourth as Chicago overcame a 17-point deficit to beat Detroit for the 17th straight time. The comeback matched Chicago's largest of the season.

"My biggest asset to the game is energy," Robinson said. "We needed a lift and I just had to force the crowd to get out of their seats and give us a boost."

He hit a jumper with 10:25 left to cut the lead to eight, then was fouled in transition on the next possession. He rose from the floor and beckoned the sold-out crowd to get on its feet, which it did.

Robinson took it from there.

He made both free throws, then scored on the two ensuing possessions. Robinson also found Noah alone underneath the basket with 8 minutes left to tie the score at 71.

"I just felt like I was invincible, unstoppable," Robinson said. "It's the Peter Pan theory - you can't fly without happy thoughts."

The Bulls extended the lead, their first since the opening minutes, to six, but Detroit didn't fold, tying the game at 82 with 29.4 seconds left on Jason Maxiell's layup.

Belinelli missed a go-ahead 3, but the ball ricocheted off the rim toward the row of cameramen. Noah and his 7-foot frame barreled through to keep it alive.

"The best play," Robinson said. "The funny thing about it is we're over there celebrating and he's still knocked over by the cheerleaders."

Belinelli was fouled on his layup and converted the free throw to give Chicago a three-point lead.

"That unit that finished the game really inspired us," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "They erased the deficit and got the lead for us."

Coming from behind is not a new concept for the Bulls, who trailed by as many as 17 when the teams last met in December, a 108-104 Chicago win.

Noah, who posted career highs with 30 points and 23 boards in the December meeting, finished with 10 points and 18 rebounds this time around. Jimmy Butler added 18 points and nine boards while starting a third straight game in place of Chicago's leading scorer, Luol Deng, who is dealing with a right hamstring injury.

Brandon Knight led Detroit with 13 points and seven assists. Kyle Singler had 12 points and made several big shots in the second half to quell potential Bulls runs.

"We have to match their energy for four quarters," Prince said. "We only did it for 3 1/2 tonight and you see what happens.

"The last two or three times we have played them we had leads through three quarters. We should have had wins."

Detroit forced 15 turnovers and began the second half on an 8-0 run to extend its lead to 17, but couldn't seal its first regular-season win at the United Center since Feb. 24, 2006, a 13-game span. The last time the Pistons beat the Bulls at all was Dec. 23, 2008.

"We put ourselves into that position," Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. "We were passing up open shots, and allowed mistakes to let them back in the game."

Detroit (16-26) fell to 4-15 on the road. The Pistons had won nine of 13 overall.

Turnovers and atrocious shooting put the Bulls in an early hole. Fourteen of their 15 turnovers came in the first three quarters.

Carlos Boozer scored eight of the Bulls' 14 first-quarter points as the rest of the team went a combined 2 for 15 from the floor. By halftime, Chicago had missed all 10 3-point attempts and only Boozer had made more than two field goals.

NOTES: Chicago finished 3 for 14 from 3-point range. ... Butler's 18-points, nine rebounds and four assists all tied career highs. He is averaging 15.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and almost 46 minutes per game in Deng's absence. ... Pistons rookie Andre Drummond had eight points and seven rebounds, four on the offensive glass. He ranks second in the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage with 16.3 percent.

Notebook: Bulls 85, Pistons 82

Kent McDill, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:30 PM - Updated Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:30 PM

THE FACTS: A layup and free throw by Marco Belinelli off a save assist from out of bounds by Joakim Noah gave the host Chicago Bulls an 85-82 come-from-behind victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. The Pistons, who have now lost 17 straight to the Bulls and 13 in a row at the United Center, led by 17 points early in the third quarter. Bulls guard Nate Robinson scored nine consecutive points in the fourth quarter to spearhead the comeback. Jimmy Butler, playing in place of injured forward Luol Deng, led six Bulls players in double figures with 18 points. Noah finished with 10 points and 18 rebounds. Brandon Knight led the Pistons with 13 points.

THE FACTS II: The Pistons scored the first eight points of the third quarter to build a 55-38 lead and they led by 11 going into the fourth quarter. From the 17-point lead to the end of the game, they were 11-for-36 from the field (30.5 percent).

THE FACTS III: The game-winning basket came after Belinelli badly missed a 3-pointer from left of the basket. Noah flipped the ball from out of bounds to Belinelli, who made a quick move to the basket for his layup. Detroit coach Lawrence Frank said he thought the ball was out of bounds before Noah got to it.

QUOTABLE I: "It was Belinelli's second sort of random game-winner."

-- Frank, referring to Belinelli's falling down game-winner against Boston last week.

THE STAT: In three starts in place of Deng, Butler is averaging 15.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, with five steals and only two turnovers.

THE STAT II: The Bulls outscored the Pistons 20-10 from the free throw line (26-14 in attempts). The Pistons only went to the line six times in the second half and made just three.

THE STAT III: When the Bulls beat the Pistons in Detroit on Dec. 7, the Pistons led by 17 points in the second quarter. The scores were almost identical -- 53-36 on Dec. 7 and 55-38 Wednesday.

TURNING POINT: When Taj Gibson tapped a bank shot off a missed shot by Robinson, it gave the Bulls a 75-73 lead with 6:02 remaining. It was the Bulls' first lead since going ahead 2-0 on the first basket of the game.

INJURY UPDATE: Deng sat out his third straight game because of his strained right hamstring.

HOT: Gibson made five of seven shots for 14 points and had four rebounds off the bench for the Bulls.

NOT: Rodney Stuckey put up a game-high 16 shots for the Pistons but made just five of them, and missed all four of his 3-pointers.

QUOTABLE II: "Quite frankly I don't know how he got to it. Jo is something."

-- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau on Noah's game-saving assist

QUOTABLE III: "It could have gone either way. If they get it, it may have been a transition basket. Fortunately, Marco got it."

-- Noah on his game-winning assist

GOOD MOVE: The offseason acquisition of flaky and spirited point guard Nate Robinson has paid off numerous times for the Bulls, although his playing time could disappear entirely when Derrick Rose returns.

BAD MOVE/ROOKIE WATCH: The best player on the Pistons Wednesday might have been rookie starter Kyle Singler, who made five of seven shots for his 12 points but played less than 25 minutes.

NOTABLE: In two games against Detroit this season, Noah has 41 rebounds... The Bulls are 12-10 at home, the first time they have been two games over .500 at the United Center since being 8-6 on Dec. 18. ... The Pistons are 4-15 on the road and have not won consecutive road games this season. ... The Bulls finish the first half of the season 25-16 despite not having their best player, Rose, for the entire season so far. ... The Bulls will be watching the All-Star reserve announcements closely Thursday with hopes Carlos Boozer or Noah will get the nod.

UP NEXT: For the Bulls, Friday vs. Golden State, Saturday @ Washington, Monday vs. Charlotte. For the Pistons, Friday @ Miami, Sunday @ Orlando, Tuesday vs. Milwaukee.

• Pistons: Kravtsov, Middleton
• Bulls: Rose

• Pistons: --
• Bulls: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: United Center, Chicago, IL
• Officials: #22 Bill Spooner, #61 Courtney Kirkland, #73 Tre Maddox
• Attendance: 21567
• Duration: 2:14