BOBCATS 85 – BULLS 93
It’s no secret that the Charlotte Bobcats are the second to worst team in the NBA. Oh, who’s the worst you’re asking? The Wizards team that the Bulls lost to on Saturday night. But let’s not talk about that. And yes, the Bulls have lost to the Bobcats already this season. Were not going to talk about that, either.
Instead, we will focus on their victory on their homecourt over a Bobcats team that put up a good fight and didn’t want to go away.
The Bulls could never really pull ahead from the Bobcats. They got their biggest lead up to 13 at one point, very briefly, thanks to a big stretch of excitement from Nate Robinson, who finished with 15 points off the bench. Every time the Bulls would go on a run, however, the Bobcats would come surging right back.
Former Bull Ben Gordon was a big part of the attempted comeback efforts, as he dropped four 3 pointers and finished the game off with 18 points. Kemba Walker also chipped in 18 points.
But it was ultimately the Bulls smothering defense that kept the Bobcats at bay and secured the victory. They played excellent, smothering defense, especially in the fourth quarter with time expiring. It seemed like the Bobcats couldn’t do anything. Well, that’s because they couldn’t. The Bulls ended up with 14 blocks and 5 steals and ended up outrebounding the Bobcats 48-41.
It was newly selected All Star, Joakim Noah, who really made the biggest impact in tonight’s game. Coming up just 3 assists short of a triple double, he 18 rebounds, 6 of which were on the offensive end, to go with his 13 points.
And after missing a few games with a hurt hamstring, it was good to see Luol Deng back out on the court on Luol Deng Bobblehead Night at the United Center. He scored 12 points. He had his minutes limited to 31, which gave room for his backup, Jimmy Butler, to match that and also play 31 minutes.
Butler, who played exceptionally well in Deng’s absence, continued to show he can play the big minutes tonight. Scoring a career high 19 points off the bench, with 6 rebounds, he showed his low post prowess and decent jump shot Mark my words : Jimmy Butler is going to be an All Star sooner, rather than later. Especially with the expiring contract of Richard Hamilton… but that’s a different story for a different time.
With this win, it puts the Bulls 10 games over .500, at 27-17. They have a tough schedule coming up, playing 7 road games in a row against teams with winning records. Next up are the Bucks (23-19) in Milwaukee on Wednesday night.
