After the Miami Heat knocked off the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon, the Chicago Bulls knew they needed to take care of business against the Detroit Pistons in order to maintain a 3.5 game lead for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Although the opening half wasn't a thing of beauty, the Bulls do hold a 49-41 lead.
Derrick Rose looked very impressive in the first 24 minutes, scoring 12 points and dishing out four assists. Joakim Noah used his size and energy to be a menace on the boards, scoring 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds. As a team, the Bulls shot 51.1% from the field in the opening half.
In a rare appearance off the bench, Charlie Villanueva led the Pistons with 11 points on 5/8 shooting from the field. Rodney Stuckey added nine points, while Greg Monroe chipped in seven points.
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