It was close, but the Bulls could not pull off the victory. After a slow start in the first quarter, the Bulls warmed up on offense and nearly stole a win in the new Barclays Center. On their road trip, the Chicago Bulls fell short 89-93 against Deron Williams and the Brooklyn Nets.

There’s a bit of bad news on the horizon. Three starters were not active last night due to injuries. Kirk Hinrich stayed in Chicago because of a possible infection in his elbow. Carlos Boozer was a gametime decision, but decided not to play with nagging soreness in his hamstring. But, the big bad news is about Joakim Noah. Reports claim that he has plantar fasciitis in his right foot. The Bulls are currently unsure of when Noah will possibly return. Every season the Bulls are bitten by the injury bug which seems to bite several players at a time. There’s never a good time for injuries, but this one can effect their chemistry especially when Derrick Rose returns. Hopefully, injuries won’t plague the Bulls too bad until Rose is cleared to play.

Taj Gibson started in Carlos Boozer’s place. Gibson finished with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 48 minutes. Luol Deng also played the whole game with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Belinelli contributed 18 points from off the bench.  The Bulls were awful from behind the arc. They only shot (7.1%) 1-14 from the 3-point line. They were also out-rebounded by the Brooklyn Nets, 29-40. This is no shock especially since Joakim Noah is their primary rebounder, along side Carlos Boozer.

The Bulls will quickly have to bounce back after their loss. Tonight, the Bulls will face the Atlanta Hawks at 7pm ET on WGN (local network). They’re currently 13-7 on the road and are on a 5 game road trip.

Luol Deng returned to the court against the Charlotte Bobcats last night. He only played 31 minutes, which is really low considering he usually plays the entire game except for maybe 3o seconds. In his return, he scored 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. But, Jimmy Butler, who equally played the same amount of minutes, led the team in scoring from off the bench. Butler had 19 points and 6 rebounds, while shooting 70% from the field. Joakim Noah had another double-double with 13 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 blocks. Nate Robinson also provided a lift from off the bench with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. This season Nate has had a total of 6 blocks, which is impressive because the point guard is only listed as 5’9″. It’s no secret that Nate Robinson has hops.

During their first match-up, the Bobcats beat the Bulls by 10 (91-81). But, this time the Bulls got a little revenge beating the Bobcats 93-85 in the United Center.

Check out the highlights below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkN5_zjCaU4

The Chicago Bulls had a tremendous game last night against the Golden State Warriors, winning 103-87. The Bulls had 3 players who had double-doubles including Carlos Boozer, Jimmy Butler, and All-Star Joakim Noah. Boozer had 15 points and 13 rebounds in 34 minutes of playing time. Jimmy Butler is continuing to start in place of Luol Deng, who is still out due to his hamstring injury. No word yet on when Deng will return. But, Butler is doing a great job and is playing with a lot of passion on the court. Jimmy Butler had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Joakim Noah scored 14 points and had 16 rebounds in 39 minutes. Early in the 2nd quarter, the Bulls were shooting over 63% from the field because they got off to a quick start at tip-off. The Golden State Warriors struggled from the field and were only shooting just over 22% from the field. All-Star snub, Stephen Curry, had 21 points and didn’t contribute much of anything else for the Warriors. David Lee, who will be making an All-Star appearance, had 23 points and 6 rebounds in 36 minutes of playing time.

Nate Robinson and Kirk Hinrich were both huge reasons why the Bulls were able to lead the whole way to victory. Kirk Hinrich started off hot from the field, shooting 8/11 from the field. Hinrich made 6/7 of his 3-point attempts. He finished with 25 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds. Kirk stunned fans with his big offensive night leading the Bulls. Nate Robinson was the main contributor from the bench. He also had a great shooting night, with 10/16 made from the field. Robinson scored 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists in 21 minutes. The Chicago Bulls were dominant on the boards, out rebounding the Warriors. The Bulls had 56 rebounds, while Golden State had 37 rebounds in regulation. Butler, Noah, and Boozer helped the Bulls outscore the Warriors in the paint with 36 points. This big game from the Bulls will put them in the 3rd spot in the Eastern Conference.Tonight the Bulls will face the Washington Wizards (10-31) at 7pm ET.

credit: via nba.com

Congratulations to Joakim Noah and Luol Deng for making the East All-Star Team for the 2012-2013 season. This will be Luol Deng’s second appearance as an All-Star. But, this is Joakim Noah’s first appearance as an All-Star and showed his appreciation by thanking everyone (literally) via his twitter account. Joakim is averaging 12.2 ppg and 10.9 rpg, while Luol Deng averages 17.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg. As announced the starters for the East are Dwayne Wade, Rajon Rondo, Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Garnett. The other reserves besides Noah and Deng are Chris Bosh, Tyson Chandler, Paul George, Jrue Holiday, and Kyrie Irving. Fans are expecting a lot of tension between players from teams like the Heat, Bulls, Knicks, and Celtics having to play together. Obviously, these guys don’t get along and had several scuffles (Joakim Noah/Tyson Chandler, Carmelo Anthony/Kevin Garnett) already during the season. And everyone knows Joakim despises LeBron James from his dancing Cleveland Cavaliers days. So we’ll see if the East can unite just for the weekend, long enough to get a win in the East.

West Starters: Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, and Blake Griffin

West Reserves: LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, James Harden, David Lee, Tony Parker, Zach Randolph, Russell Westbrook

All-Star Snubs:

Last night, NBA fans on Twitter were a bit upset that Stephen Curry was snubbed and no one from the Brooklyn Nets made the team. Curry is having a great season, despite troubles from his knee. He’s averaging 20.9 ppg and 6.6 apg. Brook Lopez of the Brooklyn Nets is averaging 18.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg, and 2.1 blkpg. Shockingly, Paul Pierce didn’t get an All-Star nod either.

The 2013 All-Star Weekend festivities will take place in Houston from Feb. 15- Feb. 17.

Friday: Celebrity All-Star Game (ESPN, 7pm ET) Rising Stars Challenge (TNT, 9pm ET)

Saturday: Shooting Stars, Skills Challenge, 3-point Shootout, Slam Dunk Contest (TNT, 8:30pm ET)

Sunday: 2013 NBA All-Star Game (TNT, 8pm ET)

Chicago Bulls Beat the Los Angeles Laker 95-83

Kirk Hinrich led the Chicago Bulls with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists. Marco Belinelli scored 15 points off the bench. Jimmy Butler made his second start due to Luol Deng being out with a hamstring injury. Butler had another decent game with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in 43 minutes of playing time. The Bulls shot 41.9% from the field and 52.9% from the 3-point line with Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli scoring from beyond the arc. The Bulls are 24-16 (5th in the East). Chicago will face the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday at 8pm ET.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7ALi5mIuRw

Carlos Boozer: Eastern Player of the Week?!

Yes, Boozer was just announced as the Eastern Player of the Week. Lately, Carlos Boozer has been playing great with more consistency. So far, this season, Boozer is averaging 16.1 ppg and 10.0 rpg. He has had 23 double-doubles this season. Carlos is known for taking the blame by Bulls fans for not playing up to his potential and he has admitted that he struggled getting familiar with the style of play in Chicago as opposed to in Utah. But, this season, he has certainly stepped up offensively (kinda defensively) and is shooting .482% from the field. Hopefully, Boozer can maintain this consistency and continue to have a great season.

Derrick Rose now ready for physical contact

The return of Derrick Rose is literally around the corner. The Chicago Bulls have released more information on Rose’s progression. He’s traveling with the team, practicing with them, and has been seen participating in pregame shootarounds. Now, Derrick Rose is ready for physical contact while playing. There’s only a matter of time until he is back on the court with his teammates. The Chicago Bulls are still not rushing him, especially since the Bulls are doing well without him. As expected, Rose will return sometime after the All-Star.

The Bulls have been in three straight overtime periods, but this time they just could not pull it off. They started off the game well with a 4-point lead over the Grizzlies after the 1st quarter. But, the trouble started in the 2nd quarter where the Bulls were only able to score 12 points, while they allowed the Memphis Grizzlies to score 26 points. The 3rd quarter wasn’t any better for the Bulls, only scoring 13 points.

But, Chicago did manage to come back from a 17 point deficit in the 4th quarter. Hinrich only played 24 minutes due to early foul trouble and providing help on offense. Joakim Noah played 27 minutes and was benched by Coach Tom Thibodeau for unknown reasons. But, one can only speculate that the Bulls would have had a chance of winning if he had played more. Noah left the game with 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Luol Deng was out with a hamstring injury, so Jimmy Butler had his 1st start as a player. Butler inherited Deng’s playing time, playing 48 minutes. Jimmy Butler had 18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. A decent game for the bench player. Carlos Boozer had another double-double, despite a lackluster shooting night. Boozer finished the game with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Boozer and Nate Robinson had a combined 9 of the Bulls 15 turnovers. Nate Robinson had 11 points and 5 assists. But, he struggled from the field. Nate is the type of player that struggles with making decent offensive decisions that a point guard has to make. He often shoots the ball too often with unnecessary off balance shots or rarely has the ability to set up an actual play to run on  offense. Last night, Nate’s flaws as a player were on display for everyone to see. He lacks the maturity to run a team and did nothing but add more issues for the Bulls.

Taj Gibson had a decent game with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks. He played 31 minutes due to the absence of Joakim Noah. As a team, the Bulls only shot 36.5% from the field. Their defense was only in short spurts likely due to them possibly being fatigue after going head-to-head with the Boston Celtics the previous night. The Grizzlies outscored the Bulls in overtime and won 85-82. The Bulls are only .500 (11-11) at home and isn’t really taking advantage of well…home court advantage.

The Chicago Bulls will take on Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday at 9:30 pm ET.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNI-JAcjXzM

The Chicago Bulls barely pulled off the win in overtime with Marco Belinelli’s off-balance, hail Mary shot that put the Bulls up 100-99. The majority of the game was neck-and-neck with the great defense from the Celtics and Bulls. Defensively, the two teams are so similar, which always makes for a thrilling game every time. Chicago shot 48% from the field, while the Celtics shot 41.8%. The Bulls are now 6-0 so far this season when playing on Friday nights. So, maybe the win was just from pure luck?

Luol Deng had a really tough night, only shooting 1-6 from the field. He left the game with 3 points, when he strained his already aggravated hamstring in the 3rd quarter. It’s unlikely that he’ll play on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies. Carlos Boozer is continuing to play great this season. He can possibly be an All-Star reserve along side All-Star candidates Luol Deng and Joakim Noah. Boozer had 19 points, 20 rebounds, and 4 assists in 43 minutes of playing time. Rip Hamilton had a great game and contributed 20 points for the Bulls. He’s starting to get his legs back under him after being out from nagging injuries. Joakim Noah played the most minutes, playing 45 minutes. Noah finished the game with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

The Bulls bench certainly contributed well against the Celtics. Between Marco Belinelli, Jimmy Butler, and Nate Robinson had 34 of the 36 points from the bench. Belinelli had 10 points and the game-winner. Butler finished the game with 13 points and 4 rebounds. Jimmy Butler is already a natural on defense, but he’s breaking out of shell, offensively. Like Belinelli, he’s not hesitating to shoot the ball, especially if he’s open. Jimmy is playing with more aggression and anyone can easily see how much he has worked on his game during the off-season. Nate Robinson, a former Celtic, had 11 points and 2 assists. He was needed early since Hinrich got into foul trouble. After the win, the Bulls are now 23-15 and in 4th place in the East.

Overtime was not very ideal for the Bulls since they have to play the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night at 8pm ET. The Memphis Grizzlies are 25-13, just coming off a win against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. The game will be played at the United Center.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVpPD2caWSg

The Bulls had this game in the bag as soon as tip-off occurred in the first quarter. Seriously, the Atlanta Hawks were not interested in this game at all. The score (97-58) clearly proves that the Bulls came to win and the Hawks were just trying to hurry up and get back on the bus. The Atlanta Hawks only scored 5 points in the second quarter. The Chicago Bulls set a record of allowing the fewest points in regulation, only allowing the Hawks to score 58 points. The Hawks were at best, just awful. They only shot 29.3% from the field against the Bulls.

Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng led the Bulls to the victory. Boozer has 8 double-doubles in his last 9 games, scoring 20 points and 13 rebounds in 32 minutes of playing time. Deng contributed 18 points and still played the most minutes despite the game being a blowout. Everyone on the Bulls team scored except for Vladimir Radmanovic and rookie Marquis Teague, who only played a total of 10 minutes. Even new addition, Daequan Cook, had 6 points by hitting two 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter. The Bulls were absolutely dominant on the boards with 59 rebounds (44 defensive) and 13 blocks, 5 of the blocks coming from Taj Gibson. Gibson also had a SportsCenter worthy dunk that had everyone in the United Center jumping out of their seats.

The Chicago Bulls are now 11-10 at home and have an overall record of 21-15. On Wednesday, the Bulls will head to Toronto to face the Raptors at 7pm ET at the Air Canada Centre.

Derrick Rose was seen at shootaround during pre game. He was working on his jumpers, floaters, and 3-point shots. He’s obviously not 100% just yet, but he is showing signs of tremendous progression. Rose is expected to return after the All-Star festivities, preferably a home game.

Bulls-Hawks Highlights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxDm6J_UdxY

Taj Gibson Dunk

The Chicago Bulls have beaten the New York Knicks in all of their 3 match-ups this season, so far. In an interview after the game, Carmelo stated that he wasn’t worried about the Bulls. But, he should be.

Last night, the Bulls came into Madison Square Garden focused and ready to ruin Anthony’s return from a suspension. For most of the game, the Bulls led by double digits. But, in the 4th quarter, they took their foot off the gas allowing the Knicks to score 41 points in the quarter, almost giving away the win. Chicago was able to hold on and walk out with another victory, winning 108-101.

Luol Deng had one of his best games this season. From tip-off, Deng’s offense was on fire and he took leadership to guide the Bulls. Luol had 33 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in 42 minutes of playing time. He also shot 3-5 from the 3-point line. Joakim Noah nearly had a double-double with 9 points and 8 assists, but his 4 blocks really stood out on the box score stats. Carlos Boozer had 17 points and 6 rebounds, continuing to have consistent games this season. Marco Belinelli and Taj Gibson both contributed 12 points each off the bench to help the Bulls.

Chicago shot over 57.4% to the Knicks’ 41.1% from the field. The Bulls were able to get a lot of easy shots and make shots off of the Knicks turnovers. The Bulls are now 20-14 (10-15 away). They are tied with the Atlanta Hawks, but sit at the 5th spot in the East.

Derrick Rose was seen during pregame shoot around. He has gained 10-12 lbs of muscle to help with his style of play when driving to the rim. Rose is still expected to return sometime after All-Star weekend.

Tonight, the Bulls will face the Phoenix Suns at 8pm ET at the United Center.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKFKZFY6MVs

Lebron and Coach Tom Thibodeau share a brief hug during the game.

Bulls fans, everywhere, are waking up with a smile on their face after watching one of the Bulls biggest wins so far this season, beating the Heat 96-89. To be honest, the Bulls chances of beating the Miami Heat were quite slim without Derrick Rose, who travelled with the team. Also, their chances became even slimmer knowing that the game would be at American Airlines Arena and not at the United Center. But, the boys in red came ready to rumble against the self-proclaimed King James and Miami Heat.

Carlos Boozer had one of his best games in a while versus the Heat. Boozer played 42 minutes, finishing with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Carlos shot 12-17 from the field and 3-5 from the free throw line. Joakim Noah had another double-double along with Boozer, scoring 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kirk Hinrich had 10 points and 8 assists in 29 minutes of playing time. Nate Robinson had 13 points off the bench, while Taj Gibson grabbed 9 rebounds for the Bulls.

Of course, the Miami Heat made a few runs to get back into the game, but the Bulls were able to make shots when needed to keep the lead. Lebron and Dwyane Wade even had a highlight alley-oop dunk to get the crowd jumping in their white sheet covered seats. The win attributed to the Bulls having a good (and rare) 3rd quarter, scoring 26 points and holding the Heat to only 18 points. Also, the Bulls out-rebounded the Heat 48-28 and had 46 of their 96 points in the paint.

The Chicago Bulls are now 18-13 (9-5 away). They will face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night at 8pm ET at the United Center.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU8JE8uY0BQ