Bulls Rally, Avoid Loss That Could've Haunted Them In Playoff Race
By Cody Westerlund--
CHICAGO (CBS) – Locked in a tight race for a postseason berth, rather than jockeying for seeding, that they never saw coming this season, the Bulls are plenty cognizant of their outside surroundings and competition in the standings.
Just how aware?
"92-91," Bulls big man Pau Gasol responded when asked if he'd heard of the Pistons' win against the Bucks in the final seconds Monday.
Guess you could say it's that time of year. There's margin for error in the race for eighth in the East, but it can ill afford to be spent on foes that are 16 games under .500. On Monday at the United Center, the Bulls avoided a debacle by rallying for a 109-102 win against the Kings after they trailed 95-90 with just more than six minutes left.
With the victory, Chicago (36-33) stayed locked with Detroit (37-34) for an eighth-place tie in the East, a half-game behind seventh-place Indiana and 1.5 games ahead of 10th-place Washington. The Pistons currently hold the tiebreaker against the Bulls, though that could be flipped if Chicago wins the April 2 matchup it hosts between the teams at the United Center.
"We played well for about six minutes tonight, and thankfully it was the last six minutes of the game," coach Fred Hoiberg said.
"We finally got some urgency."
Monday marked just the second time all season that the Bulls plugged in a desired starting lineup, as the group of Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Taj Gibson and Gasol moved to 2-0 together. Two jumpers in the deciding run and controlled play all night long from Rose (18 points on 9-of-15 shooting) were crucial, as were 18 points from Gibson and 14 points and 14 rebounds from Gasol in his first game back from right knee swelling. Gasol had his playing time scaled back, logging 24 minutes, an approach he expects will continue for several more games.
"We're finding ways to win," Rose said.
Added Hoiberg: "Early in the year, I'm not sure we win this game. We were down five. Adversity hit us in a big way, but the guys kept their heads up in the huddle and played the most important part of the game. It's got to be for a longer stretch."
Hoiberg described the Bulls' play as "stuck in mud" for the better part of 42 minutes, adding it "has to be our last subpar game of the year." A back-to-back against the Knicks awaits Wednesday and Thursday, then the schedule turns more difficult down the stretch.
Monday didn't change any Bulls' fortunes or reveal anything new, but it was better than the alternative of a calamitous home loss in the playoff race.
"We kind of got more of a rotation establish, and we're getting used to playing with each other a little more," said wing Doug McDermott, who had 16 points off the bench. "I think that's the most important part, just because we've had so many injuries, guys come and go.
"Overall, it's good to see a lot of guys are back."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.