The Chicago Bulls continue to roll through what should be their easiest stretch of the season by far. The Bulls beat up on an extremely weak Toronto Raptors team tonight, winning by a score of 110-93, but it took a big fourth quarter from the Raptors against the Bulls' bench just to get to the 17 point loss.
On a night where Derrick Rose wasn't exactly healthy (sprained wrist and ankle, and apparently a sore hip as well), Carlos Boozer continued to show why he is a huge pick up for the Bulls. He scored a season high 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as well. His offense has gotten better every game, and tonight his ability to finish at the rim while taking contact was on display. The first three quarters of this game belonged to Boozer. Toronto had no answer for him, or anybody else for that matter. The Bulls basically ran a layup drill for the first three quarters of this game, and it was a route from start to finish.
Rose only scored 6 points in this game, but he was not looking for his own points because Boozer was unstoppable. Rose did have 11 assists, and was excellent at leading his team on both ends of the floor. Korver stepped in off the bench with a big game, Deng played another solid game offensively, and Ronnie Brewer continues to play stellar defense off the bench.
The worst news coming out of the game was about Joakim Noah. He played very well tonight, scoring 11 points and collecting 11 rebounds along with 2 blocks. However, after the game it was reported that Noah will have surgery to repair the torn ligament in his right thumb, and he is expected to miss 8-10 weeks. That is a huge loss for the Bulls, who were just beginning to gain confidence and improved chemistry.
The good news about Noah going down with an injury at this point in the season is that the Bulls play against inferior teams for the next 3-4 weeks. Hopefully they can continue to win games while figuring out a new rotation for their big men. Taj Gibson and Omer Asik should see alot of minutes now, and Boozer is going to have to be consistent with both his rebounding and scoring now. The Bulls cannot afford anybody else to get injured if they are going to stay near the top of a very competitive Eastern Conference.
The Bulls currently sit in first place in the Central Division, a full five games ahead of the Indiana Pacers. They are also 3rd in the Eastern Conference. Hopefully they won't lose too much ground in either race, but it has to be a huge let down for the Bulls, who were just starting to play with confidence and swagger.
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