Doing it While Depleted

With Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson out for quite some time, the Bulls' schedule didn't seem to be very forgiving off the bat.  The Washington Wizards were in town and the Bulls have not fared well against this group recently.  This should have been a disaster from the opening tip.  But the home team didn't get that message and instead won 97-92.

The game was close almost throughout (the Bulls led by as much as 12).  Both teams traded baskets continuously, which usually doesn't bode well for the Bulls.  Instead, they took advantage of an opponent that's been sliding and calmly held on at the end.  Washington has now lost seven of eight going back to before the All-Star break.

Nikola Mirotic came off the bench and led all scorers with 23 points.  Aaron Brooks came in just behind with 22, which was just ahead of John Wall's 21.  It was a dual between point guards few probably anticipated, but never doubt the point guards in Tom Thibodeau's system (unless you're Kirk Hinrich these days).

There were twin double-doubles from Pau Gasol (20 and 10) and Joakim Noah (14 and 12), which seemed impressive considering they had to deal with Nene.  Then, you remembered Nene put up a goose egg in the scoring column, missing all four of his field-goal attempts.  Marcin Gortat registered a double-double with two 12s, but with Nene held in check, he could only do so much to help the Wizards' cause.

A game that wasn't supposed to pan out for the remaining healthy Bulls instead became a satisfying victory.  They caught the Wizards during a struggling stretch in their season.  Frankly, that may be just what the Bulls need as they come into a month that may be more challenging than what they endured in January.  Not every game in March will have a happy ending like this, but the team and their fans will take whatever positive vibes they can get.

Thursday will bring a nationally televised game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.  If you can believe it, the Bulls haven't seen them yet this season.  Still, Russell Westbrook is playing well and may not be very forgiving with no Rose to contend with.  Then again, it's a home game, so certainly anything is possible.