vs LOS ANGELES LAKERS (11-45) @ CHICAGO BULLS (28-26) Game 55, Home Game 28 Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016 – 7:00 PM CT United Center ESPN / WGN-TV / ESPN 1000 AM / WRTO-AM BULLS VS. LAKERS THIS SEASON Jan. 28 @ Los Angeles – W, 114-91 Feb. 21 @ Chicago – ALL-TIME VS LAKERS 61-86 BULLS/LAKERS STREAKS BULLS CURRENT STREAK ........... 1 Win BULLS HOME STREAK ................ 4 Wins BULLS ROAD STREAK ................... 1 Win Game Notes Chicago Bulls (28-26) Home 17-10 Road 11-16 Bulls Preseason Averages: PPG: 101.4 (Opp: 102.1) RPG: 48.0 (Opp: 46.9) APG: 21.9 (Opp: 22.4) SPG: 5.98 (Opp: 8.02) BPG: 5.89 (Opp: 5.69) FG%: .436 (Opp: .433) FT%: .776 (Opp: .720) 3p%: .360 (Opp: .335) Probable Bulls starters Derrick Rose - PG - E'Tauwn Moore - SG - Mike Dunleavy - SF - Taj Gibson - PF - Pau Gasol - C - Bulls Regular Season Stats Leaders Points: Butler 22.4, Gasol 17.0 Rebounds: Gasol 10.8, Noah 8.8 Assists: Rose 4.7, Butler 4.3 Steals: Butler 1.69, Mirotic 0.86 Blocks: Gasol 1.94, Gibson 1.06 FG%: Gibson .507, Gasol .476 FT%: Snell .893, McDermott .852 3FG%: McDermott .429, Moore .419 Regular Season Player Highs 2015/2016 Points: Butler 53 Field Goals Made: Butler 15 Field Goals Attempts: Rose 34 Free Throws Made: Butler 21 Free Throws Attempts: Butler 25 3-Point FGM: Mirotic & McDermott 5 3-Point FGA: Mirotic 9 Rebounds: Gasol 19 Off. Rebounds: Gasol, Gibson & Noah 7 Def. Rebounds: Gasol 17 Assists: Brooks, Butler & Rose 10 Blocks: Gasol 6 Steals: Butler 4 Minutes: Butler 56 Double-Double: Gasol 30 Triple-Double: None Injury report Jimmy Butler (left knee strain), Nikola Mirotić (appendicitis) and Joakim Noah (left shoulder) are OUT. For a full report and the latest on Bulls' injuries, check out the AthletiCo Injury Report. Los Angeles Lakers (11-45) Home 6-19 Road 5-26 Probable Lakers starters J. Clarkson - PG L. Wiliams - SG K. Bryant - SF J. Randle - PF R. Hibbert - C Injury report Anthony Brown (sprained right ankle) is questionable. Kobe Bryant (sore right shoulderand dislocated finger) is probable. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015-16 PLUS/MINUS REPORT Per Game Bairstow -0.5 Brooks +1.0 Butler +0.2 Dunleavy -1.6 Felicio +1.2 Gasol +1.0 Gibson -1.9 McDermott -0.7 Mirotic +1.5 Moore -0.6 Noah -1.2 Portis -3.1 Rose -2.3 Snell +1.3
Always nice to see a win (unless you are trying to get a lotto pick). Great to see Derrick playing well again. The defense in this game was non existent. I'd mark this as the official day when the Thibs was pretty much all out of this team. The ESPN announcing team compared it to an all-star game. ICE has melted. Lakers are doing it smart with Kobe. He gets the nostalgia tour and the fanbase seeing him go out like royalty helps numb the sting of losing. And they just might get Ben Simmons on the team next year to replace him. Both the Lakers and Bulls will likely not win the NBA Championship this season.
Bulls beat Lakers 126-115 to spoil Kobe's Chicago farewell Pau Gasol said it was special to face Kobe Bryant one last time on Sunday night. And even better to win the final matchup against his former teammate. "Without a question," Gasol said. "It's always better to win." Derrick Rose andE'Twaun Moore had 24 points apiece to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 126-115 victory over theLos Angeles Lakers in Bryant's final game at the United Center. Read more http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=400828718
I wonder if E'Twaun Moore is playing himself into a bigger contract with his play during Jimmy's absence. He's a really nice piece as the 9-10 guy in your rotation. You can play him in a lot of different lineups and he does just enough of everything well to keep things afloat. He's a poor man's version of prime Kirk Hinrich.
A few more thoughts from the game: 1). Is it an accident that Doug, E'Twaun, Bobby and Felicio have all had their best games with Jimmy out? I don't think Jimmy's selfish, but having 3 ball dominant guys at the top of your roster makes it difficult to play with an offensive flow that creates opportunities for lower usage guys. I've really enjoyed watching those guys get burn, and I think the biggest difference between their performances then and now is that guys are looking for them......and they know it. 2). With Noah out we have no one that can credibly be an enforcer inside. Taj and Pau are physically weak and get pushed around a lot, even if both of them are pretty good at contesting shots around the rim. I don't see this changing as long as Noah's out. This puts a cap on how good we can be defensively, which will likely change how we have to play in order to be our best. Ie, we'll have to be an offensive team moreso than a defensive one. 3). With point #2 said, I think these last two games might be a bit of a revelation. This team's ceiling is reached by bringing Jimmy back and somehow blending the offensive talents at the top of the roster with the games of those guys at the bottom so they'll all have a chance to do what they do best. If we can pull that off I can still see this team making it past two rounds in the playoffs if they get good matchups, and maybe we can last long enough to get Noah back for a playoff series or two, and and after that who knows? 4). With point #3 said, Hoiberg has a Phil Jackson-esque coaching challenge ahead of him. He has to figure out a way to relate to the best players on his roster and get them to buy in to certain style of play that'll require sacrificing their individual talents for the good of the team. Can he do it? We'll see.......
