This is getting to be a common occurrence, and the Bulls are going to have to figure a way out of it, because they aren’t always going to be able to come back against teams like the Pistons.
The Bulls had an 11 point lead going into the fourth quarter, but again shot poorly in the last quarter, just as they did in New York on Saturday, and let the Pistons tie the game with an 11-2 run and send it into overtime.
That’s when Carlos Boozer and Derrick Rose took over. Both posted double doubles, and Rose had 12 rebounds, a career high, to go along with his 23 points and eight assists. Boozer had 31 points and 11 rebounds. The Bulls dominated on the boards 55-39, the primary reason they won despite shooting only 39.6% from the floor.
So, the Bulls split their back-to-back road games and now play six straight games against teams with losing records: the Bucks, Nets, Cavaliers and Raptors at home, and then a trip to New Jersey and Philadelphia before coming home for their next real challenge, Jan. 8 against the Celtics. This is a real opportunity for the Bulls to show they belong in the top echelon in the NBA.