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The Bulls defeated the Nets Monday night in New Jersey.
The Chicago Bulls earned a wire-to-wire road victory by defeating the New Jersey Nets 108-87 at the Prudential Center on Monday night. Star guard Derrick Rose exited early with back spasms, but coach Tom Thibodeau didn't need him. The Bulls outclassed the Nets from the start with hot shooting and crisp ball shooting. The win moved Chicago to 21-6, while New Jersey drops to 3-8.
More: Bulls coast to win vs. Nets
Chicago shot 40-of-72 (55 percent) from the field, while New Jersey was just 32-of-70 (40.5 percent). The Bulls also finished with 10 more assists (29-19) and connected on six more three-pointers.
Carlos Boozer led the Bulls with 24 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Luol Deng played 34 minutes and scored 19 points. C.J. Watson played well in Rose's place, finishing with 14 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds.
Deron Williams scored 25 to lead New Jersey. Sundiata Gaints scored 12 and Jordan Farmar scored 11 off the bench for New Jersey.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bulls be sure to visit Blog a Bull. Visit SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league.
While the Chicago Bulls seem content to rest starting shooting guard Richard 'Rip' Hamilton until his groin is fully healed, coach Tom Thibodeau is not being as generous with time off for Luol Deng. Deng has a wrist injury significant enough to warrant what would likely be season-ending surgery should he choose to have it, but after missing seven games, the small forward returned to score 21 points against the Milwaukee Bucks in a 113-90 Bulls win on Saturday.
Before tonight's contest against the New Jersey Nets, Thibodeau talked about how he was impressed with Deng's work ethic during his time off:
He stayed in great shape. He prepared himself well. He was diligent with his rehab. He did all the things you'd expect a good pro to do. I saw how hard he was working on his conditioning so I knew that part of it he would be fine.
CSN has the video:
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Derrick Rose might be out for the rest of the game, but it doesn't appear like the Chicago Bulls will be in need of the reigning MVP's services tonight against the New Jersey Nets. Chicago leads the Nets 84-64 after three quarters. After scoring four points, Rose exited the game permanently with back spasms.
Power forward Carlos Boozer has led the Chicago attack. He has 22 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Luol Deng, in his second game since returning from a wrist injury, has 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Ronnie Brewer, starting in place of the injured Rip Hamilton, has 12 points. Guard C.J. Watson has 11 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in Rose's stead.
New Jersey is being led by star point guard Deron Williams, who has 21 points and five assists. Kris Humphries has added 10 points for the Nets.
Chicago is shooting 33-of-60 from the field (55%) and has connected on 9-of-14 three-pointers.
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Derrick Rose headed into the locker room late in the second quarter on Monday night, and it appears his back is bothering him again. He'll skip the second half of the team's game against New Jersey, according to ESPN Chicago's Nick Friedell.
Derrick Rose has lower back spasms. He will not return tonight.
— Nick Friedell (@ESPNChiBulls) February 7, 2012
With the Bulls rolling over the Nets, and New Orleans and Charlotte on the horizon, it's a good time to rest Rose, if that is necessary. Rose finished with four points in 11 minutes against the Nets.
Related: Bulls Schedule 2012: Chicago Continues Road Trip, Visits Nets, Hornets And Bobcats
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more on the Chicago Bulls, head over to Blog a Bull, while New Jersey fans are advised to check out the Nets blog NetsDaily. For all breaking basketball news, browse over to the SB Nation NBA news hub
The New Jersey Nets were much more competitive in the second quarter but were not able to put a dent in the huge lead the Chicago Bulls built in the first quarter. The Bulls shot 63.9% from the field in the first half and hit seven of 10 three-point attempts. Luol Deng, not too hampered by his wrist injury, apparently, has 13 points to lead the Bulls. Carlos Boozer has 12 points and five assists.
Related: Bulls injury update: Deng returns to the fullest, Rose has a stiff back
Derrick Rose, who has been bothered by a back injury, did head to the locker room before the end of the half, and has played just 11 minutes. His status is unknown.
Deron Williams leads New Jersey with 12 points.
For more on the Chicago Bulls, head over to Blog a Bull, while New Jersey fans are advised to check out the Nets blog NetsDaily. For all breaking basketball news, browse over to the SB Nation NBA news hub
It looks like the Chicago Bulls are dispensing with the New Jersey Nets very quickly on Monday night, as they've already built a 21-point lead through one quarter of play. The Nets have had no answer for Chicago's offense to this point, as the Bulls have practically scored at will.
Related: Bulls injury update: Deng returns to the fullest, Rose has a stiff back
Luol Deng finished the period a perfect 5-5 from the field and scored 13 points to lead Chicago. Derrick Rose, who picked up a pair of fouls, logged just three minutes of playing time but did hit his lone shot attempt. As a team, the Bulls hit 13-of-17 field goal attempts, including 4-of-5 three-point attempts.
For more on the Chicago Bulls, head over to Blog a Bull, while New Jersey fans are advised to check out the Nets blog NetsDaily. For all breaking basketball news, browse over to the SB Nation NBA news hub.
The Chicago Bulls (20-6) in the middle of their nine-game road trip, will visit the New Jersey Nets (8-17) on Monday, the New Orleans Hornets (4-20) on Monday, and Charlotte Bobcats (3-21) on Friday.
Here's a look at the Bulls recent and upcoming schedule:
The Bulls are coming off an impressive win over the Milwaukee Bucks (10-13), who had been surging in recent weeks, but looked deflated against the hot-shooting Chicago offense.
Chicago was recently buoyed by the return of SF Luol Deng, playing Saturday night despite a torn wrist ligament that will require off-season surgery. The team is also hoping for the return of starting SG Richard Hamilton, the team's elder statesman, who is battling a sore groin and bruised right thigh and is listed as questionable for Monday night's game.
The Bulls have also dealt with injuries to the reigning NBA MVP, point guard Derrick Rose, who is listed as probable with a sore back. Rose has led the team with an impressive 23.6 points and 8.2 assists per game.
Meanwhile, the Nets boast only 8 wins on the season, losing 4 of their last 5 games. New Jersey started the season with a regrettable 1-6 record, but have since improved a little behind the play of F Kris Humphries and G Deron Williams. The team also feature a familiar face in former Bulls G-F Keith Bogans, who started all 82 games for Chicago in the 2010-11 NBA Season.
For more on the Chicago Bulls, head over to Blog a Bull, while New Jersey fans are advised to check out the Nets blog NetsDaily. For all breaking basketball news, browse over to the SB Nation NBA news hub.
VIDEO: Derrick Rose Suffers Back Injury Vs. Nets, Considered Day-To-Day
The Chicago Bulls cruised to a 108-87 road victory over the lowly New Jersey Nets on Monday night, but the team suffered a bit of a scare when star point guard Derrick Rose left for the locker room in the second quarter after re-aggravating a lingering back injury. He did not return to the game in the second half and finished with only four points in 11 minutes of action, but neither Rose nor head coach Tom Thibodeau sounded too concerned after the game.
Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago caught up with Rose after the game, and the all-star guard sounded fairly optimistic about the situation:
Here is the full video of the interview and the play where Rose re-aggravated his back injury:
Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bulls be sure to visit Blog a Bull. Visit SB Nation NBA for more news and notes around the league.
Feb 07 9:08a by Steve von Horn