Chicago Bulls Weekly: Tom Thibodeau Not Taking The Bait On Coaching Future
By Phil Watson
Bulls 89, Charlotte Bobcats 87: Saturday, Jan. 25 (Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte)
Chicago arrived off a loss at home the night before, while the Bobcats had gotten lit up at New York on Friday, surrendering 62 points to Carmelo Anthony. Kemba Walker did not dress for Charlotte because of an ankle sprain.
The Bobcats held a 24-22 lead at the end of a tight first quarter that featured seven lead changes and six ties. Al Jefferson had a strong start with 12 points and six rebounds, while Ramon Sessions dished four assists. Carlos Boozer scored six for the Bulls.
In a sluggish second quarter in which Charlotte was just 6-for-20, the teams combined for 32 points and 11 turnovers. The Bulls forged a tie at the break, 39-39, behind six points from Taj Gibson. Jannero Pargo led the Bobcats with five points in the period.
The offenses didn’t improve a lot in the third period, as the Bulls pulled ahead 57-55 at the quarter break. D.J. Augustin scored five points for Chicago, while Jefferson had 11 of Charlotte’s 16 in the period.
The Bulls never trailed in the fourth quarter, opening up a 12-point lead before the Bobcats charged back, cutting the deficit to three points at 87-84 on Pargo’s 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds left. But Augustin drained two free throws with 2.7 seconds left to ice it for Chicago before Jefferson knocked down a 3-pointer from about 35 feet at the horn. Augustin erupted for 15 points in the fourth and Tony Snell added six, while Gibson grabbed five rebounds and Noah logged four assists. Pargo had 10 points for Charlotte, Jefferson added nine and Gerald Henderson scored six points, while Sessions dished four assists.
Overall, Augustin scored a season-high 28 points for the Bulls. Gibson added 13 points, Mike Dunleavy scored 12, Noah had 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and Boozer had 10 points. Jimmy Butler had four steals and Snell nabbed three. Jefferson finished with 32 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots for the Bobcats. Pargo added 15 points and Henderson added 11, while Sessions notched 11 assists.
Chicago was 31-for-77 (40.3 percent) overall, 11-for-23 (47.8 percent) from 3-point land (Augustin was 6-for-12) and 16-for-22 (72.7 percent) from the line. Charlotte was 37-for-88 (42 percent), 6-for-19 (31.6 percent) and 7-for-10 (70 percent).
The Bobcats had a 45-41 edge on the glass and outscored the Bulls 44-26 in the paint, 12-8 on second-chance opportunities and 12-6 on the break. Charlotte had 15 turnovers, which Chicago turned into 17 points; the Bulls’ 14 giveaways translated to 11 points for the Bobcats.