The Bulls have been playing some really good basketball since the All-Star break ended, and a return to the United Center tonight led to the team's fourth straight win since the break ended. A 122-90 beat down of the Philadelphia 76ers who looked like they quit in the second quarter.

The big story of the night was Kirk Hinrich who broke Ben Gordon's franchise record for three pointers made when he made his 771st career three in the third quarter. Kirk was the subject of a lot of trade rumors this past week, and while I would have liked to see him moved, it is hard to deny he has been a solid Bull his entire career. He's been a big part of the team's resurgent play since he was inserted into the starting lineup, and his defense is always a strong point.

Joakim Noah returned from injury tonight, and played seven minutes. He scored just one point and grabbed only two rebounds, but it was good to see him working himself back into the rotation. The Bulls need Noah healthy if they think they are going to win a first round game or two this year.

The stars of the night were Taj Gibson, Hakim Warrick, and of course Derrick Rose. Gibson had a fantastic game with 20 points and 13 rebounds. He is really turning out to be one of the biggest steals of this year's draft. While he might not be a starter on a championship team, he is certainly a rotation player who is more than capable of playing in the league for a long time. His defense is solid and he is a great rebounder, which has been especially big with Noah out.

Warrick has been a pleasant surprise his first two games as a Bull. While he certainly doesn't bring the upside that Tyrus Thomas did, he appears to have the attitude that the team wants. Tyrus was never going to be successful on the Bulls, and I hope he dominates with the Bobcats, but right now this Bulls team is probably better off with Warrick. He had 15 points and nine rebounds tonight, including a highlight real dunk in the first quarter.

Derrick was his usual steady self, and while his hip was probably not feeling great since this is his fourth game in five days, he still managed to score 17 points with six assists and four rebounds. Brad Miller added 15 points and 10 rebounds, Hinrich finished with 17, and finally newcomer Flip Murray added 12.

The Bulls were able to take advantage of a weaker team tonight that wasn't interested at all in playing, but still a win is a win. Right now their record 29-26 and it looks like the playoffs are going to be easy to reach for once. Right now everything is looking really good for the Bulls, something I wouldn't have thought after the Magic game going into the All-Star break.

Written by :

Justin Bridgman

 

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