Playing without their MVP for a second straight game, the Bulls had their highest offensive output of the season, beating the Phoenix Suns easily, 118-97. They looked like the Suns of the old “7 Seconds or Less” Era, lighting up the scoreboard at a blinding pace (at least for 3 quarters, before coasting through the 4th). Carlos Boozer led the way with 31 points on 14-of-21 shooting, including 12-of-15 in the first half.
Without Derrick Rose to dominate the ball, John Lucas III and the recently-returned C.J. Watson shared PG duties, and moved the ball around well. Rip Hamilton also returned after missing 8 straight games (and 10 of the last 11). With so many players sharing extra touches, it’s no surprise that 6 guys scored in double figures.
However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that the Bulls move the ball around better (let alone score more) without Rose taking his share of the shots. While the Bulls racked up 31 assists (against just 6 turnovers) on 47 field goals, those are the types of numbers they have been putting up all season. The Bulls happened to shoot the ball very well in this game, particularly Carlos Boozer. The majority of his points came on jump shots. While there’s no denying that he had a great game, he won’t shoot that well too often. As the team’s starting PF, it would be great to see him take the ball to the rim more often, instead of relying on the mid-range jumper so much. That said, it’s a shot that he’s developed and has been able to make with consistency over the years.
Another reason for the Bulls explosive output is the lack of defense on the Suns’ part. Back when they had Amar’e Stoudemire, the Suns were a run-and-gun team that scored a lot of points, but also gave up a lot. After Stoudemire was traded, they were supposed to slow things down and improve on the defensive end. They were not too successful on this night, and it was the Bulls who were the high-scoring (and not always so defensive) team. They shot 18-25 (that’s 72%) in a first quarter that saw them put up a season-high 39 points (and they gave up 31, while the Suns shot 65%). They clamped down in the second quarter and took a 67-47 lead. They led 96-68 going into the fourth quarter, where they finally took it easy, and let their reserves finish the game. Anytime Dan Scalabrine gets playing time, you know it’s a blowout!
The Bulls were coming off of a bad loss to the Grizzlies, so they needed a good win to get back on track. C.J. Watson made his first start of the season, and scored a season-high 23 points. Joakim Noah had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Omer Asik had his first double-digit scoring game, notching 11. Steve Nash led the Suns with 25 points and 9 assists, on a sharp 10-13 shooting (including 3-3 from downtown). Nash turns 38 next month and will be an unrestricted free agent after the season ends. If the Suns can’t contend for a playoff spot, he could be one of the most sought-after players at the trade deadline.