The Bulls provided some heat in December with a 113-82 victory over the Detroit Pistons in the Bulls most dominating win of the season.
The Bulls led by 35 points at halftime with a powerful engine of a game that disabled the Pistons from the start.
The Bulls moved to 14-13 while the Pistons fell to 14-16. The Bulls play Washington in the United Center Wednesday.
The Bulls put seven players in double figures led by Jimmy Butler with 19 points, Taj Gibson with 16 in making all eight of his shots and Rajon Rondo with 10 points, a season high 14 assists and eight rebounds. Robin Lopez added 14 points and Dwyane Wade 13 as the starters didn’t play in the fourth quarter. Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott each had 13 points off the bench as the Bulls both led in bench points and three-point shooting.
The Bulls shot a season high 59.8 percent and tied a season best with 34 assists on 49 baskets. The Bulls led the entire game and by as much as 38.
It was two struggling teams Monday looking for some holiday relief as the Pistons had a team meeting after their last game, their fifth loss in eight, while the Bulls were coming off the back to back blowout losses to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bulls seemed more determined to start, pressuring and denying on defense and pushing the ball in an offensive onslaught that began with a 14-2 start and took the Bulls to a 35-19 lead after one quarter. The Bulls got Mirotic back in the rotation after sitting out two games and he responded immediately along with McDermott. The shooting duo were back on the court together and combined for five of five in the quarter as the Bulls shot a staggering 81 percent with 15 assists. The Bulls kept it up in the second quarter with Mirotic and McDermott adding threes and McDermott and Butler finishing lob dunks in perhaps the most impressive first half offensive display of the season. The Bulls led 69-34, the second largest halftime lead in franchise history and the biggest halftime lead in the NBA this season. The Bulls shot a sizzling 72.7 percent with 24 first half assists with five players in double figures in the team’s best combined offensive and defensive display of the season.
The Pistons started the second half firing on more cylinders with a 6-2 start. But Rondo kept the ball moving, five passes for Gibson jumper on one possession as the Bulls kept a 79-44 lead four minutes into the third quarter. The Pistons shortly thereafter substituted for all five starters and pressured the Bulls into a pair of fast break scores to get within 85-50 with 4:59 left in the third quarter. The Pistons continued behind their reserves and trimmed the Bulls lead to 88-56. But Rondo came through as an unlikely source for jump shots and a second three pointer to push the Bulls to a 97-63 lead after three quarters. The Bulls had seven players scoring in double figures by the end of the third and still shooting 66 percent overall with 31 assists.