Derrick Rose leads the Chicago Bulls to a 101-96 win over the Detroit Pistons
Derrick Rose scored a team-high 27 points as the Chicago Bulls edged past the Detroit Pistons 101-96 at Palace of Auburn Hills on Friday night. Rose also grabbed seven assists and four steals for the Bulls, who occupy top spot in the Eastern Conference standings
with 55 victories in the 2010-11 season.
Forward Carlos Boozer once again performed his duties well in the absence of Joakim Noah, who missed his second straight game with an ankle injury. Boozer contributed 22 points, seven assists, eight rebounds and three steals in the victory.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau acknowledged the contribution of Boozer and Rose after the game. He said, "Carlos was outstanding. When he is getting into the post, Derrick is getting shots off the dribble, and we have the pick and roll, we have got a lot of ways
to get easy offence."
Luol Deng finished with 15 points, two assists and two boards for the Bulls, who won their second consecutive game. Guard Richard Hamilton posted a game-high 30 points and pulled down four rebounds for Detroit.
Tayshaun Prince had 17 points and six assists, while guard Will Bynum tallied 12 points and five rebounds for the Pistons, who lost their second straight game.
Match Analysis
Both teams played one-on-one shots in the first quarter and tied the contest at 21 with one minute to go in the quarter. However, the Bulls went on a 10-0 run in the closing minutes to take a 31-21 lead into the second.
Ronnie Brewer’s lay-up shot, C.J. Watson’s running jump shot, and back-to-back layups by Taj Gibson extended the Bulls’ lead to 40-27 with less than nine minutes remaining in the second quarter. Chicago shot 64 percent from the field in the second. The Piston
recovered from their mistakes and limited their turnovers in the second. Detroit trimmed their deficit to 58-47 heading into the locker room.
The Pistons retired the number 10 jersey of legendary former player Dennis Rodman at half time. Rodman is well-known in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for his fantastic defensive and rebounding abilities.
The Pistons opened the third quarter with a 15-4 run that reduced the Bulls' 11-point first half lead to just three. However, Boozer responded with eight straight points to put Chicago ahead by 77-62 for good. Hamilton’s free throws and a jump shot in the
last minute of the third cut the deficit to 79-70, but the Bulls managed to take an 82-70 advantage into the final stanza.
The Palace of Auburn Hills was rocking as the Pistons trimmed Chicago's lead to three points with just 20 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. However, the Bulls went on a 4-2 run in the closing seconds to seal a hard-fought 101-96 victory.
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