The Chicago Bulls were playing the second of three back-to-back games, when they faced the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 10th. The Bulls seemingly had the game in hand as they jumped out to a 51-27 lead late in the second quarter. However, Minnesota went on an 18-2 run to close within eight points before the break. While the Bulls would eventually pull away for good late in the fourth quarter for 111-100 victory, the game was much closer than I anticipated. Here are my key players for the Bulls.
Derrick Rose:
Derrick Rose scored a season-high 31 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field along with 11 assists. Rose scored seven of those points during the last four minutes of the game when the outcome was still somewhat in doubt. His biggest basket came when he nailed a three-pointer, to stretch the lead to 109-100 with 1:44 remaining, essentially putting the game out of reach for Minnesota.
Luol Deng:
Another productive day at the office for Deng as he chipped in with 21 points and 11 rebounds in 42 minutes of action. With the game tied at 63, Deng scored seven consecutive points, providing some breathing room for the Bulls after the game had gotten away from them a little bit. Watching Deng play at this level each night, it would only be fitting if he was voted as an All-Star this year.
Ronnie Brewer:
The Bulls acquired Rip Hamilton to provide additional scoring punch in the back-court, but it has been Ronnie Brewer who has been filling in very well for an injured Hamilton, who is recovering from a groin injury. Brewer turned in a solid performance with 17 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Needless to say, he is making a case for himself with improved play in nearly every aspect of his game. It is all but certain that Hamilton will return to the starting five once his injury has healed, but in the meantime, Brewer is showing how valuable he is to the team regardless of what role he is asked to fill.
While it was difficult to tell as much, Chicago’s defense was pretty good also as they held Minnesota to just 42 percent shooting, while enjoying a 47-30 advantage on the glass. Chicago is tough to beat when they play well defensively and do a good job of being active on the boards.
James Tillman is a resident of the Chicago-land area who has been a Bulls’ fan since the 1987-1988 season. James is currently a fan blogger on Yahoo Sports and sports contributor for Sports Rantz magazine. For interesting discussions about the NBA, NFL and MLB, follow him on Twitter @jtillman9693.
Sources:
CSN Channel 53
“Bulls go small; Rose steps up”, Joe Cowley, Chicago-Sun Times