Grizzlie Taming

Things sure look dark for the Bulls these days.  There have already been more blowout losses than any team would like.  Luol Deng remains injured and we just learned that Tom Thibodeau learned of his father's passing right after the Christmas win in Brooklyn.  The funeral was today, but it didn't stop him from flying to Memphis for tonight's game against the Grizzlies.

FedEx Forum has not been kind to the Bulls, who had won there just once since the 2005-06 season entering tonight.  But this game saw the Grizzlies playing catch-up late and falling short.  The Bulls will happily take this 95-91 victory.

The Bulls led by just two at the half, but came out strong in the third quarter, opening on a 20-4 run.  Memphis responded with a 24-8 run that extended into the fourth quarter.  An 18-point Bulls lead was cut down to two, but they seized control for good midway through the fourth when D.J. Augustin fired up a prayer behind the three-point line to beat the shot clock and hit it.  The Grizzlies didn't get any closer the rest of the game.

Jimmy Butler scored 14 of his 26 points in that glorious third quarter and finished the game knocking down 12 of his 14 free throws.  With Deng still out, the Bulls needed more offense from somewhere and they got it from the swingman battling through turf toe.  They also got production from Carlos Boozer, whose latest double-double was 21 and 10.  Augustin scored 10 off the bench and Joakim Noah grabbed 10 boards and tied Taj Gibson with a game-high four blocks.  The 10 blocks and 13 steals as a team were season highs for the Bulls.

The Bulls somehow kept their composure after the bad loss to Dallas this past weekend.  To go into a building unfriendly to them without Deng and find offense from their promising young gun in Butler and amnesty target in Boozer is pretty darn good.  Yes, the issues remain and fixing all of them won't be easy.  Games like this get the tanking crowd upset, but for those who just want to see a win, it's all good.

There's still one more game to be played before the calendar flips to 2014.  It will be at the United Center tomorrow against the Toronto Raptors.  I won't be able to recap that game, but I will sum up this maddening calendar year before I go to work.  2013 had its ups and downs, so it's worth taking a look at.  Until then, may your New Year's planning go smoothly.