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The Bulls defeated the Kings on Tuesday without star guard Derrick Rose.
The Chicago Bulls' 121-115 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night didn't make headlines across the NBA, but it did cement that Tom Thibodeau and his staff will be coaching the East in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. The Bulls, at 24-7, have clinched the best record in the East prior to the break, thus ensuring that Chicago All-Stars Derrick Rose and Luol Deng will be joined by a few familiar faces.
Thibodeau said after Tuesday night's game that coaching in the All-Star game will be "an honor," but according to the AP's Tim Reynolds, his chief competition, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, isn't too displeased about missing out on the festivities.
Spo Watch: Bulls up 88-77 after 3. So it looks like, yes, tonight couldn't have gone better for Spo.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) February 15, 2012
Finding some vacation time during this season's compressed schedule may be just as fun.
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The Chicago Bulls saw a 19-point fourth quarter lead dwindle to just two points against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday at the United Center, but some clutch free throw shooting prevented a Chicago meltdown. The Bulls won 121-115 to improve to 24-7 and 10-1 at home.
Luol Deng and Joakim Noah carried Chicago to victory. Deng finished with 23 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds. Noah had his first 20-point effort of the season, posting a final line of 22 points and 11 rebounds. Kyle Korver (18 points) and Taj Gibson (15 points) were each huge off the bench, as was guard John Lucas III, who had nine points and nine assists with just one turnover.
DeMarcus Cousins (28 points, 17 rebounds) was awfully impressive for Sacramento in defeat. Tyreke Evans also had himself a game, finishing with 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Teammate Marcus Thornton added 23 points.
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Few expected a shootout at the United Center tonight between the Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings after it was learned that Derrick Rose would miss the game to again rest his sore back. But a shootout is exactly what has transpired, with Chicago leading 88-77 after three quarters.
Four Chicago scorers have reached double-figures, led by 10 points, nine assists and six rebounds from Luol Deng. The Bulls' All-Star small forward is only 5-of-15 from the field, but he's made all seven of his free throw attempts. Carlos Boozer has 16 points and five rebounds. Joakim Noah has 14 points and 10 rebounds. Taj Gibson ended the third quarter with a monster slam dunk to finish with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench.
DeMarcus Cousins (19 points) and Tyreke Evans (18 points) have kept Sacramento close.
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The Chicago Bulls are finally back from a nine-game road trip, but their first game back at the United Center still comes without Derrick Rose. As the reigning MVP continues to rest his sore back, Chicago takes a 56-52 lead against the Sacramento Kings at the United Center.
Carlos Boozer leads the way for Chicago, finishing with 12 points and four rebounds at the half at 6-of-11 shooting. Joakim Noah also had a strong first half, posting 10 points and seven rebounds. John Lucas III (eight points), Kyle Korver (seven points), and Taj Gibson (six points) all contributed off the bench.
The Kings were led by 21-year old man-child DeMarcus Cousins, who continues to prove he's one of the league's rising young stars. Cousins ended the half with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Donte Greene added 10 points for Sacramento off the bench.
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Playing once again without point guard Derrick Rose, the Chicago Bulls are having a bit of trouble with the 10-17 Sacramento Kings, as Chicago has a slim 27-24 lead after the first quarter.
Related: Bulls vs. Kings: Derrick Rose out, Bulls re-sign Mike James
The Bulls were led offensively by forwards Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, who each scored eight points. Boozer added four rebounds as well. Luol Deng has scored seven. The Bulls hit 11 of 23 field goal attempts in the period, though they missed on all three three-point attempts.
DeMarcus Cousins has nine points and eight rebounds already for Sacramento, both of which are team-highs.
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Derrick Rose did not participate in a team shootaround this morning due to back spasms, and soon after that head coach Tom Thibodeau ruled Rose out for Tuesday's game against the Sacramento Kings. Rose is scheduled to address reporters before the game, but this is still the best-case scenario for everyone involved. Rose visited a back specialist on Monday who confirmed via an MRI that he is only dealing with lower back spasms and that there is no structural damage to his back, so now it is likely just a matter of resting his muscles and allowing them to recover properly.
According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, the team will re-sign veteran point guard Mike James to a 10-day contract in meantime. James averaged 4 points and 3.7 assists in three games with the Bulls during a stretch in January when Rose and C.J. Watson were both dealing with injuries.
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The Chicago Bulls finally finished up their 9-game road trip, and managed a respectable 6-3 record during their time away from home, but they still have to deal with the sour taste in their most from Sunday's loss to the Boston Celtics. Without Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo put up a dominating 32-point, 15-assist, 10-rebound triple-double and the Bulls saw their streak of road dominance end abruptly. Now they hope to avoid their first losing streak of the season when the Sacramento Kings come into town on Tuesday night.
The good news for Bulls fans is that Derrick Rose visited a back specialist who confirmed via an MRI that he is only dealing with lower back spasms and that there is no structural damage. He is listed as day-to-day and has not officially been ruled out for Tuesday's game. The bad news is that the Kings have one four of their last six games and are looking quite formidable heading into the matchup, especially if Rose is unable to go.
Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins has channeled the best of his abilities and avoided any big mental meltdowns in recent weeks, and he is the key to Sacramento's recent success. In the first matchup back on Dec. 29, Cousins shot 4-16 from the field and only scored 16 points, but he has since turned over a new leaf. SB Nation's Sactown Royalty has more on just how well he has played in the past 10 days:
DeMarcus Cousins - 20.8 PPG, .426 FG%, 12 RPG, 1 BLK, 1 STL
There just aren't enough good things we can continue to say about DeMarcus Cousins. He is blossoming before our eyes, all as a 21 year old, 2nd year player playing the most physical position in the NBA. There was only one game this week where he got taken out of his groove, in Minnesota, a night after he had played 38 minutes in New Orleans. He looked tired against the Wolves, yet still managed a double-double. It's clear that the team plays much better when he's got it going, and he's had it going more often than not the last couple of weeks. The best part about DeMarcus' growth this year is that he is nowhere near his ceiling yet. He's still got a long way to go.
Gametime: 7:00 PM CT, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012
Location: United Center, Chicago, IL
Television: WCIU
Radio: ESPN 1000 AM
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Kings Vs. Bulls: Tom Thibodeau Praises Bench Production After Tough Victory
The Chicago Bulls didn't have an especially easy time beating the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, but they got enough from some players on the end of their bench to pull out the win. After the game, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau praised some of the players on his bench that often don't play for long, and CSN Chicago has the video:
Thibodeau also noted that the team will need to be prepared to face the Boston Celtics later this week after losing 95-91 on the road to them last Sunday.
The Bulls were without Derrick Rose when they faced Boston last week and his status for the game is uncertain, but Chicago presumably expects to win regardless after a close game in Boston.
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Feb 15 1:55p by Satchel Price