Whisking the Wizards

The Bulls entered Wednesday's game with the Washington Wizards having lost three of the last four in the match-up.  Derrick Rose becoming a late scratch with right hamstring tendinitis seemingly made an already depleted team an easy underdog.  Fortunately, that message got lost and the Bulls won 109-104.

A two-point halftime lead increased to 10 by the end of the third quarter as the Bulls played with confidence and efficiency.  Although the Wizards made an aggressive push in the fourth, cutting the lead to as little as three, the Bulls battled it off until they put enough distance to hold on.  It proved critical after Washington went on an 8-2 run in the final two minutes.

With Rose and all the others out (I'm too lazy to list everybody), the Bulls took to sharing the offensive wealth.  The result was seven players scoring in double figures, including all five starters.  I guess they figured with no healthy primary scorer, everyone had to chip in.  Boy, was it a good idea.

Taj Gibson and E'Twaun Moore tied for the team high with 17 points.  Tony Snell reached 16 points for the first time since Dec. 14 against Philadelphia.  For the second time in three games, a flu-ridden Pau Gasol came within an assist of a triple-double, this one thanks to 10 points and 15 rebounds.  Doug McDermott had 14 points off the bench, four coming on a pair of thunderous dunks.

Suddenly, the Bulls are looking like the team everyone thinks they can be.  Their three-game winning streak, tied with Toronto for longest in the East, has bumped them back up to sixth in the conference standings.  With most Eastern playoff teams still very close together, this is the time for them to make their move.  They're still just two games in front of ninth-place Detroit, so they can't ease up.

What has driven the shorthanded Bulls to play such inspired basketball lately?  Has Fred Hoiberg getting the whip out and cussing in practice forced them to finally get his message?  In Wednesday's case, were they inspired by next year's new D-League franchise unveiling its Windy City Bulls moniker?  Regardless, it's great to know this team might be clicking at a time when they really need to show who they are.

The Bulls will return to action Friday in a road contest with the Atlanta Hawks.  That's the team that gave them a shellacking in their last game before the All-Star break.  The United Center crowd was forced to endure bad basketball.  Can the Bulls return the favor at Philips Arena?