The Bulls ended the Texas portion of their seven-game road trip with a 2-1 mark after defeating the Dallas Mavericks Friday night. That alone would be cause for celebration, because before last night the Bulls had lost five in a row and 12 of their last 13 in Dallas — so the simple fact of winning there has to be a major psychological boost to the Bulls.
Better is that they may have found a second rebounder to complement Joakim Noah, who is second in the NBA with a 13.3 average (and he’s likely to go back on top when leader Kevin Love’s 30-board night eventually is discounted by playing more games). Taj Gibson had 18 rebounds, a career high, and the Bulls outrebounded the Mavericks 59-34.
They also came from behind last night, something not easy to do in the NBA any time. This ought to be a real confidence-builder for the rest of the trip, which doesn’t get any easier in its next stop — Tuesday night in Los Angeles against the 11-2 Lakers.