Morning Box Score: Bulls Roll, Blackhawks Stumble
By Staff in News on Dec 12, 2010 3:05PM
Bulls 113, Timberwolves 82: It may seem too good to be true after a huge win over the Lakers Friday night, but Derrick Rose proved that he and his team are unstoppa(bull).. yes, we had to go there. Rose drained a career-high five 3-pointers, leading the Bulls to their fifth consecutive victory.
Rose finished with 21 points and 7 assists, Luol Deng added 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 3. Carlos Boozer scored 17 points and grabbed 7 rebounds and Joakim Noah had 9 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocked shots. Tom Thibodeau's bench was once again strong in support of the starters. He switched out his team in the second quarter and forward Taj Gibson grabbed 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Ronnie Brewer had 8 points and 5 rebounds. Thibs brought back his starters and the Bulls took a 58-37 lead heading into the intermission. Rose was 8-for-10 from the field keeping the Bulls ahead by a healthy amount with an 87-65 lead through three quarters.
The Bulls out-rebounded the Timberwolves 53-36 and have shown defensive dominance throughout their five-game win streak. Their solid defense has become the key to the rest of their game. Their play against Minnesota was just as important, as this could have been a letdown game. If they continue to flash this type of intensity on the court, they have a chance to establish a comfortable lead in the NBA’s Central Division. The Bulls are six games over .500 for the first time since wrapping up the 2006-07 season with a 49-33 record. They also matched their season high with nine 3-pointers while also holding Minnesota to a 35.6 percent shooting during the first two quarters.
The Bulls have a pretty easy schedule coming up, hosting the Indiana Pacers on Monday and visiting the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
Sharks 2, Blackhawks 1 (OT) All good things must come to an end, but it was fun while it lasted. Ryane Clowe of the San Jose Sharks scored twice, including thee overtime winner, to snap Corey Crawford’s seven-game win streak.
Crawford was up against former Blackhawks goaltender Antti Niemi, who stole the spotlight as a rookie from Cristobal Huet last season. However, Niemi out-dueled Crawford for his second victory of the season over his former team. Clowe scored his first goal in the first period, with Jordan Hendry knotting the game with his first goal of the season shortly after. The game then became a goaltender battle; Crawford stopped 28 of 30 shots on goal, Niemi denying 28 of 29.
It was a tough break for Crawford, as he was just one game away from breaking some rookie franchise records, but he still maintains a .933 save percentage.
This is the second loss for the Blackhawks in seven games since their last meeting in San Jose Nov. 24. They will now travel to Colorado to face the Avalanche Monday.
By: Angie Wiatrowski