Morning Box Score: No Rose, No Problem For Bulls
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jan 12, 2012 2:30PM
The Bulls relied on their depth last night to beat the Wizards at the United Center. John Lucas III, starting in place of Derrick Rose, played out of his mind last night with a game-high 28 points on 11-for-28 shooting. Kyle Korver added 14 points off the bench, and Luol Deng scored 12 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds. He and Omer Asik (14 rebounds) did the yeoman's work in the paint as coach Tom Thibodeau once again benched Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah for the entire fourth quarter. If Rose is going to miss any extended playing time with his turf toe injury, the Bulls need Boozer and Noah to step up their game. With last night's win, The Bulls became the second NBA team this season to win three straight games over three straight nights. They have an off day today before heading to Boston tomorrow to take on the Celtics. (7 p.m., CSN Chicago, WMVP-AM 1000)
This loss was a heartbreaker for the Wildcats, who led by 10 at halftime only to see the 13th-ranked Wolverines rally to force a thrilling finish. Michigan's Tim Hardaway, Jr. fould NU's Alex Marcotullo on the three-point shot with 0.3 seconds left and Michigan leading 66-63. But Marcotullo missed his first free throw and made his second, which meant he had to intentionally miss the third shot to give his teammates a chance at a tip-in. John Shurna led NU with 21 points.