Noah Returns As Bulls Travel To Toronto
Over the course of the 30 games that the Chicago Bulls played without center Joakim Noah, the team went 22-8. The last game that Noah played was against the Toronto Raptors, the same team he'll make his return against.
The Bulls have played nine games with their imposing frontcourt of Carlos Boozer and Noah together, the last seven of which were wins before Noah went down with a torn thumb ligament.
They're finally ready to see if they can pick up where they left off.
Out since having surgery in mid-December, Noah returns against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night as he'll try to help lead the surging Bulls to their fifth consecutive win and 11th in 13 games.
Chicago (38-16) didn't have Boozer for the first 15 games of the season after its star free agent acquisition broke his hand, leaving Noah to do the bulk of the work down in the paint.
Noah injured his right thumb Nov. 27 against Sacramento - a game before Boozer returned - but played through it for the next nine games. After a 110-93 road win over the Raptors (15-42) on Dec. 15 - the Bulls' seventh straight - the team announced he'd undergo surgery and miss eight to 10 weeks.
He'll be back Wednesday at Air Canada Centre, the same place he played his last game. Chicago went 22-8 in his absence, but is anxious to see its leader in rebounds (11.7) and blocks (1.6) return - even if it he's not ready to play 35 minutes right away.
"I don't know how he's going to respond once he's out there," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We'll see how he is. Obviously, we'll try to get him up to starters minutes as quickly as possible. It'll be similar to what Carlos went through - each game a little bit more - and I think once they start playing, they'll come around pretty quickly."
Derrick Rose helped carry the team when Boozer was out, and the All-Star point guard did the same during Noah's recovery.
He saved his best performance for the Bulls' final game before the break. Rose scored a career-high 42 last Wednesday in a 109-99 victory over league-best San Antonio.
"I'm just trying to win," Rose told the Bulls' official website. "That's the biggest thing. This gives us confidence knowing we can beat some of the best teams. ... We always knew we had a good team. We're just trying to keep this going and I think we can."
Rose has averaged just 14.8 points in five games against Toronto since the start of last season - his second-lowest versus any opponent - but he hasn't had to do much. Chicago has won the series' last three games by at least 16 points apiece.
They'll hook up for the third time this season Wednesday on the court, but Tuesday the Bulls and the Raptors made a minor deal off it. Chicago sent little-used James Johnson - the 16th pick in the 2009 draft - to Toronto for a 2011 first-round pick it's owed from Miami.
"I always liked his game when he was at Wake Forest," said Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan, who was in the same draft class with Johnson. "You never know. It could work out great for him and be a great pickup for us. We hope so."
Hours after acquiring Johnson, his new teammates continued to struggle. Toronto committed a season-high 31 fouls at Charlotte on Tuesday in a 114-101 loss, its 11th straight on the road.
"I know it will turn around," said guard Jerryd Bayless, who had 11 points and 10 assists. "We're young, we're learning."
The Raptors are 5-31 when they score 101 points or fewer. Just four of the Bulls' last 36 opponents have scored that many points.
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