Bulls don rally caps again
16-0 burst erases 9-point deficit in 3rd quarter; Salmons, Noah come up big
They're not the Cardiac Kids just yet, but the Bulls are making a habit of comeback victories at home.
Four days after overcoming an 18-point deficit in the second half en route to defeating the Milwaukee Bucks, the Bulls erased a nine-point deficit and survived some shaky free-throw shooting down the stretch to earn a 93-90 victory Saturday against the Charlotte Bobcats at the United Center.
(AP)
''Yeah, I don't like [having to rally again],'' coach Vinny Del Negro said. ''I like the victory part, but we have to handle the ball better, understand the situation and really convert. We have to be smarter than that. We have to be more efficient. But overall, we'll take it.''
The Bulls (4-2) won their third consecutive game overall and stayed unbeaten in three home games.
The victory was a team effort, but the stars were guard John Salmons (game-high 27 points) and center Joakim Noah (career-high 21 points, 16 rebounds, four blocks).
Luol Deng, who shifted to power forward frequently in the absence of Tyrus Thomas (broken left forearm), had 14 points and 11 rebounds in more than 47 minutes.
''Joakim was tremendous, Luol had to play a lot of minutes and John got back on track,'' Del Negro said.
Salmons, who entered the game shooting only 29.6 percent from the field, was happy to bust out with a 9-for-16 effort.
''Actually, the game started a little shaky,'' Salmons said. ''I got a steal and dribbled it right off my foot. But I got to the free-throw line a little bit more [7-for-9]. I hadn't been doing that. I was taking it to the rim more; I wasn't settling for jump shots. It felt good.''
Noah might have been even better. He was 10-for-12 from the field, and most of his points came on second-chance opportunities.
When asked whether he realized he had reached a career high in points -- his previous high was 19 -- Noah said: ''No, not really. Tyson Chandler got into foul trouble early, so I took advantage by doing what I do -- offensive rebounds and tip-ins.''
Once again, the Bulls got off to a sluggish start at home. They trailed 53-46 at halftime, primarily because they shot only 17-for-41 (41.5 percent) and allowed the Bobcats to shoot 8-for-13 (53.3 percent) from three-point range.
The Bobcats stretched their lead to 70-61 with just less than four minutes left in the third quarter before the Bulls turned up the heat on both ends to run off 16 consecutive points during a span that lasted into the fourth.
Deng capped the run with a 16-foot jumper that gave the Bulls a 77-70 lead with 10:20 left.
The Bobcats rallied and got as close as 83-82 midway through the fourth, but Salmons answered with a three-pointer for a little more breathing room. A couple of minutes later, the Bulls led 92-85, and it appeared they would cruise down the stretch.
But they squandered an opportunity to put the game out of reach from the free-throw line in the final two minutes, missing five in a row at one point.
The Bobcats pulled to 92-90 on two free throws by Chandler with 21.3 seconds left. After Salmons split two free throws with 19.8 seconds to go, the Bobcats had chance to tie with a three-pointer, but Ronald ''Flip'' Murray missed twice before the Bulls got the ball back and ran out the clock.
BULLS 93, BOBCATS 90