The Chicago Bulls (16-3) overcame a slew of injuries to put away the Charlotte Bobcats (3-14) in a 95-89 that looked closer in the final score than it did in the second half.
The Bulls received an unwelcome surprise at the beginning of the game when All-Star candidate C Joakim Noah turned up lame with an injury that kept him from playing -- pushing the list of injured Bulls to four with PG Derrick Rose, F Taj Gibson, PG John Lucas III and Noah all out.
Despite the wealthy injury list, the Bulls managed to take an early lead and stop a late comeback attempt from the Bobcats reserves. With strong play from C Omer Asik (15 rebounds, 6 points), PF Carlos Boozer (23 pts, 9 reb), SF Luol Deng (22 pts, 8 reb) and SG Richard Hamilton (20 pts), the Bulls were able to build a lead as big as 19 points midway through the fourth quarter.
The Bobcats, who relied heavily on G Gerald Henderson (22 pts, 9 reb), managed a ten-point run late in the game, drawing the game within six points, but the margin proved to great and the Bulls finished with their 15th win of the season.
The Bulls will be back in action on Monday, squaring off against the New Jersey Nets (4-12).
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