Boozer, Watson step up in Rose’s absence
By Neil Hayes Sun-Times Media January 17, 2012 11:06PM
Bulls center Joakim Noah gives forward Carlos Boozer a playful pat during a timeout in the second quarter of an NBA game featuring the Chicago Bulls and the Phoenix Suns Tuesday January 17, 2012 at the United Center. Boozer had 26 first half points. | Tom Cruze~Sun-Times
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Updated: February 19, 2012 8:27AM
CHICAGO — The Bulls can sustain the loss of Derrick Rose a lot more easily when Carlos Boozer and C.J. Watson shoot like they did against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.
But even after Boozer scored 31 points on 14 of 21 shooting and Watson added 23 on 8 of 12 shooting in a 118-97 victory at the United Center, the Bulls know their fate hinges more on the healing powers of their irrepressible MVP than the hot-and-cold shooting touch of any member of his supporting cast.
Rose missed his second consecutive game and third in the last five with a sprained big toe on his left foot that appears to need rest in a season that won’t provide much. The Bulls (13-3) played their 16th game in the first 24 days of the season. And even when the frenetic pace eases up it still will tax the health of Rose and everybody else.
“He’s usually a pretty quick healer,” coach Tom Thibodeau said when asked if the typically nagging “turf toe” that ails Rose will take awhile to heal. “He’ll get his treatment and then we have a couple of days off (before playing at Cleveland on Friday). We’ll see where he is after that. He usually responds pretty well to treatment.”
With Boozer and Watson red hot in the first half and Richard Hamilton starting for the first time in nine games, the Bulls at least responded to the challenge of playing without Rose much better than they did in a 16-point loss to the Grizzlies in Memphis on Monday.
“We had a lot of guys play well,” Thibodeau said. “Joakim (Noah, who had 13 points and 12 rebounds) was great. He was very active. He hustled. He knocked down shots.
“Carlos was on fire to start. Rip (Hamilton) was terrific, not so much with shooting but with his playmaking. I loved the way the ball hopped. We made the extra pass and when you do that, good things happen.”
Boozer scored 26 points on 12 of 15 shooting and Watson added 15 on 5 of 5 shooting in the first half as the Bulls shot 67 percent from the field to take a 67-47 lead against a struggling Suns team that had allowed an average of 103 points in four consecutive losses coming in.
Watson, playing through his own injury with protective sleeves on both elbows, hit his first five shots, including a three-pointer, and scored 13 points as the Bulls took a 39-31 lead.
After establishing a hot hand early with 12 points in the first quarter, Boozer poured it on with 12 points in the final 5:25 of the half — including four straight jumpers in a 2:11 flurry — as the Bulls turned a 49-41 lead into the 67-47 halftime advantage.
The only disappointment for the home crowd was Brian Scalabrine turning down an open three-pointer with 3:00 to play in the game. And even that turned into gold — Scalabrine faked the shot and fed center Omer Asik for a dunk and three-point play that gave the Bulls a 112-86 lead with 2:52 to play.
But even a rout left something to be desired. The Bulls allowed 31 points in the first quarter. The Suns shot 51.4 percent for the game.
“Our defense ... obviously we need work,” Thibodeau said. “I loved our offense. The pace was great. We had spurts where we played good defense. But especially when you’re going on the road, you have to be air-tight with your defense. So that’s something we’ve got to clean up.”
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