The Chicago Bulls responded to last week's defeat against the Boston Celtics with a 87-78 victory over the Eastern Conference foe on Thursday night. Keyed by a strong defensive performance, the Bulls also got strong performances from their key frontcourt players en route to another victory without star guard Derrick Rose.
Neither team shot well from the field in a game that was mostly characterized by good defense, as the Bulls shot 40 percent from the field and the Celtics were a tad better at 41 percent. Chicago struggled with turnovers all night, making 16 of them in all, but dominated on the boards and from beyond the three-point line. The Bulls had a 50-36 advantage on the boards and made 10-of-21 shots from three-point range while limiting the Celtics to just 3-of-14 shooting from long range.
The Bulls got strong numbers from all three of their frontcourt starters; each one of them put up a double-double on the night. Carlos Boozer had 23 points and 15 rebounds, Luol Deng had 23 points and 10 assists, and Joakim Noah had 15 points and 15 rebounds. With those three going, Chicago didn't need much else. Kevin Garnett led Boston with 18 points while Rajon Rondo put up 17 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
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