Bulls 90, Hornets 67: Bad opponent leads to another fine result

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - FEBRUARY 08: Derrick Rose #1 of the Chicago Bulls shoots the ball over Jarrett Jack #2 of the New Orleans Hornets at New Orleans Arena on February 8, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) R:\Merlin\Getty_Photos\138543035.jpg

Updated: March 11, 2012 8:44AM

NEW ORLEANS — The Bulls are perfecting the underrated art of burying the NBA’s worst teams.

With Derrick Rose starting but hardly necessary, the Bulls barely broke a sweat in cruising to a 90-67 victory over the short-handed, overwhelmed and 4-22 New ­Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night at New Orleans Arena.

Rose, recovering from lower back spasms, scored six points on 3-for-5 shooting with six assists in 22 minutes, but it hardly mattered. C.J. Watson shot 1-for-6 from the field in place of Rose and that didn’t matter, either.

With Carlos Boozer (18 points, six rebounds, three assists), Joakim Noah (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Luol Deng (nine points, seven rebounds, five assists) leading the way, the Bulls (22-6) took leads of 21-8, 44-31 at halftime and 70-46 after three quarters.

‘‘We’re playing really well,’’ Deng said. ‘‘We’re coming out early, ­defending, running the floor, ­getting a lead and playing well with it. There are times when teams go on a run, but we’re better at it than we were last year.’’

The Bulls had 29 assists on 39 field goals. They had 29 assists against the Nets and 31 against the Bucks.

‘‘I was pleased with the overall performance,’’ Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. ‘‘The readiness to play. Well balanced. Solid ­defense. And offensively the way the ball is moving — it’s not sticking ­anywhere. And we’re getting good shots.’’

It was the Bulls’ fourth consecutive road victory since a 16-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers last week and their third blowout in a row.

They beat the Milwaukee Bucks 113-90 and the 8-19 New Jersey Nets 108-87 in similarly dominant performances. The Bulls have trailed for 23 seconds in their last three games, with halftime leads of 67-43, 62-37 and 44-31. They led by 10 points or more for nearly 40 of 48 minutes against the Hornets and Bucks and 43:31 against the Nets.

Up next, the 3-22 Bobcats on ­Friday in Charlotte.

‘‘[We’re] staying focused knowing that we’re on a mission. We can’t take any steps back,’’ Rose said.‘‘We’re learning. That’s something I told you we had to work on. The last couple of games we’ve been jumping on people and that’s the right way to be.’’

Rose, a game-time decision because of the lingering effects of back spasms, scored two points with three assists in the first quarter before being replaced by Watson with the Bulls leading 21-8. He played sparingly after that as the Bulls were never in trouble.

‘‘The back is kind of tight,’’ Rose said. ‘‘I could have played [in a closer game]. Thibs did a great job of managing my minutes when he saw we had the game put away.’’

The Bulls weren’t quite as sharp as they were at the start of the Nets game, when they hit 12 of their first 13 shots, but they didn’t have to be. The Hornets missed their first five shots and eight of their first 10 as the Bulls took a 15-4 lead after Boozer fed Ronnie Brewer for a dunk.

Chris Kaman came off the ­Hornets’ bench to score 10 points in the final 5:00 of the first quarter, but his shot at the buzzer that would have made it 23-16 was ruled too late upon review. After the opening tip, that’s as close to a turning point as there would be in this one. Watson hit a jumper, Omer Asik scored twice inside and Taj Gibson dunked off a pass from Watson to open the second quarter and the rout was back on.