In the Chicago Bulls final four-game road trip, they came out strong and beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 114-101 on Friday, Dec. 30.

Derrick Rose led the team offensively and everything seemed to come together for them.

The Bulls got off to a slow start as the Clippers jumped to a 7-0 lead. They maintained seven-point leads throughout most of the first quarter but within the last minute, the Bulls tied it up and ended with a 29-28 lead.

In the second quarter, the pace picked up and the teams exchanged leads when it wasn’t tied. The Bulls found success from the line and within the quarter’s last minute, Joakim Noah showed up and pulled the Bulls ahead to enter halftime with a 57-52 advantage.

Returning from the break, the Bulls maintained a small lead but the Clippers weren’t going to give up that easily. Blake Griffin kept hitting free throws for Los Angeles but Luol Deng and Rose kept the Bulls ahead. The Bench Mob took over and helped the team see an 83-77 lead as it entered the final quarter.

The Bulls kicked it into gear in the fourth quarter as Rose extended the lead from his successive free throws. Throughout the quarter, the Bulls led. Around the seven-minute mark, they began hitting three-pointers while the Clippers’ Griffin kept making shots to tighten the Bulls’ lead but it wasn’t good enough on this night.

Rose was on a mission to beat the highly-touted Clippers and Chris Paul. He was very successful.

Scoring…Rose led the team with 29 points,16 assists and eight rebounds. Playing against his first NBA coach for two seasons, Vinny Del Negro said of his former player, “Derrick is just a handful and we all know that. I didn’t think we ganged up on him enough. He got too many free throws, but he also hit some tough shots in the fourth quarter, stepping behind the line and hitting some 3s.”

Deng and Noah both added 19 points with Rip Hamilton contributing 16 points.

Next up? The Bulls host Memphis on Sunday, Jan. 1.

As a lifelong Chicago Bulls fan and Chicago resident, the Derrick Rose era has been an enjoyable one.

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By Steve von Horn

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Dec 29, 2011 – Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer and the Chicago Bulls are looking to avoid a losing streak when they take on Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins and the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night. The Bulls got down early on the road against the Golden State Warriors on Monday night, and never quite recovered. Derrick Rose had a particularly difficult night during the 99-91 loss, finishing with just 13 points on 4-17 shooting. Although the team stressed the importance of defensive discipline and intensity after the game, the heartbeat of the offense is Rose. If the reigning league MVP doesn’t look right, the Bulls are quite beatable. Here is what the crew at Blog a Bull has to say:

It’s not news that when Rose isn’t playing at MVP-type levels, the Bulls aren’t that great of a team. But what’s more worrisome is when Rose is subpar and the rest don’t even look to be above average. And it starts with what should be the Bulls #2 option, Carlos Boozer. Boozer not only had an anemic 6 points in his 26 minutes, but he was consistently abused by his contemporary (in position and salary) David Lee. Boozer was also partly responsible for no less than three turnovers where Rip Hamilton failed to connect on an entry pass. Noah fared slightly better and Taj Gibson was part of a desperation comeback unit in the 4th quarter, but the entire Bulls frontcourt looked not only slow themselves, but fairly weak: often not being able to finish or getting the ball stripped before they even had a chance to.

The good news for the team is that they are set to take on a Kings team that has developed a well-deserved reputation for poor defensive efforts. After pulling off a surprising 100-91 win over the Los Angeles Lakes in their season opener, the Kings put up a stinker against the Portland Trail Blazers and lost 79-101. Even so, Sacramento is loaded with offensive talent. Marcus Thornton, Tyreke Evans, Jimmer Fredette and DeMarcus Cousins should present a great test for the Bulls defense. Cousins should be a particularly interesting player to watch on Thursday night, because he might finally be putting his immense talent to good use. Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty explains:

The biggest offensive knock on Cousins last season — even bigger than the turnovers, of which there were way too many — was that he took way too many long jumpers. He’s a decent shooter and can get off a jumper against anyone, but his physical make-up and agility are best suited in the pivot. A key development point for Cousins would be to shift his shot structure to rely less on the perimeter and mid-range and more on the post…Through two games, 19 of Cousins’ 32 shooting possessions have come at the rim or on free throws. That’s up at 59 percent … much, much better. He’s missed a lot of makeable layups and struggled at the line so far, but that should normalize so long as he doesn’t force wild shots under the backboard against good defenders

Joakim Noah will likely matchup against DMC on defense, so be sure to keep an eye on how well Noah or Omer Asik can limit interior looks for Cousins. As for Fredette, Evans and Thornton, their talents are a double-edged sword. Known as offensive-minded guards, it may be the case that anything they do in terms of scoring will be matched or outdone by counterpart Derrick Rose. Expect a fast-paced game with plenty of scoring.

Game day/time: Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, 9:00 p.m. CT

Location: Power Balance Pavilion, Sacramento, CA

TV: CSN-Chicago

For updates on the matchup, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage, visit Blog a Bull and Sactown Royalty. And for more news and notes from around the NBA, head over to SB Nation’s NBA news hub.

Read More: Carlos Boozer (F – CHI), David Lee (F – GSW), Joakim Noah (C – CHI), Derrick Rose (G – CHI), Omer Asik (C – CHI), Tyreke Evans (G – SAC), Taj Gibson (F – CHI), Marcus Thornton (G – SAC), DeMarcus Cousins (C – SAC), Jimmer Fredette (G – SAC), Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings

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The season is just two games old, but fan forums and message boards are already abuzz about what’s “wrong” with the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls are 1-1 so far, with a come from behind, last second win over the Los Angeles Lakers and an it-wasn’t-as-close-as-it-looks 99-91 loss to the Golden State Warriors. They didn’t look great in either game – far from it – and now face the task of closing out their season-opening four-game road trip with contests against the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers.

No, the Bulls of 2011-12 have not looked like the Bulls that captured – that demanded – our attention last season. Reigning MVP Derrick Rose appears too passive. Rip Hamilton, who’s had his hands full guarding two of the league’s most prolific scorers, has failed to impress on the offensive end. Carlos Boozer has just 21 points and nine rebounds in two games. And it doesn’t stop with individual play, either – the Bulls have given up 34 turnovers and allowed 22 steals…in…just…two…games.

No, those aren’t shortcomings you’d expect to see from a 62-win team, but it is after all still early in the season. Let’s not forget that the Bulls started out last season with a crushing loss to Oklahoma City and a 9-8 record; they responded with a 14-2 spurt to close out December and never looked back.

Be that as it may, splitting a west coast road trip is not necessarily a bad thing, and the Bulls can do just that by getting a win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday (December 29) or the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday (December 30). Given the way the Bulls have played, a 2-2 road trip suddenly doesn’t look all that bad.

Here’s a closer look at the Bulls’ next two opponents.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings are 1-1 with a season-opening a win over the Lakers and a blowout loss on the road to the Trailblazers. They’ve added Chuck Hayes, Travis Outlaw and rookie Jimmer Fredette, and should be more competitive than last season’s 24-win team. Shooting guard Marcus Thorton – a player the Bulls showed interest in last season – blossomed after being traded to the Kings and becoming a starter; he leads the team with a 20.5 ppg average.

What to watch: Expect reigning MVP Derrick Rose, who was 1-of-8 on treys and 4-of-17 overall in a 99-91 loss to Golden State, to be aggressive early, and to look for his missing mid-range game. Boozer has a clear advantage over Hayes at the 4, and should bounce back from a dismal 6-point, 3-rebound (those aren’t typos, six points and three stinkin’ rebounds) game against the Warriors. It will be the Bulls’ third straight game against an elite scorer at the 2; Hamilton was quite ordinary against Kobe Bryant (28 points) and Monta Ellis (26 points), and might have an easier go with Thorton.

Prediction: This is a game the Bulls should, and will, win – Bulls 96, King 83.

On the air: Local coverage and the NBA’s League Pass.

Los Angeles Clippers

As you may have heard, the Clippers added Chris Paul, and big things are expected. But the Clippers didn’t stop there – they also added Chauncey Billups, who starts at shooting guard (21 points in his debut), and forward Caron “Hope I Don’t Have to Leave” Butler (11 points, 10 rebounds in his debut). The Clippers beat the Lakers twice in the preseason, then won for real by thumping Golden State, 105-86 (Golden State then beat up on the Bulls); they play at San Antonio tonight. The Clippers, 32-50 last season, will almost certainly be one of the league’s most improved teams, and should be headed for the playoffs.

What to watch: Rose versus Paul is a matchup I hope to be watching for a long time to come – Rose generally plays well against Paul – but this game will be decided at other positions. Boozer versus Blake Griffin at power forward is a frightening matchup made in hell for the Bulls; Griffin had 61 points and 25 rebounds in two games against the Bulls last season.

Prediction: Other than the Boozer-Griffin mismatch, the Bulls line up well against the Clippers, but this will still be a tough win to get on the road against a newly energized team. Clippers 105, Bulls 96.

On the air: Local coverage and NBA-TV.

Notes: Do you have a top 10 moment from the 2020-11 season? Let me know!….Twenty years ago today, the Bulls knocked off the Sacramento Kings, 127-118; Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen combined fo 60 points.

Sources: Chicago Bulls team page, Yahoo! Sports; Sacramento Kings team page, Yahoo! Sports; LA Clippers team page, Yahoo! Sports,

Other Articles By This Contributor:

Despite 62-Win Season, Chicago Bulls Drop in Preseason Power Polls (December 22)

Top 10 Moments of Chicago Bulls’ 2010-11 Season (December 22)

YCN featured sports contributor Steve Merritt is – for better or worse – a lifelong Chicago Bulls, Bears and Cubs fan. Follow the Bulls’ 2011-12 season from a die-hard fan’s perspective on his blog, A Fan’s Take: The 2011-12 Chicago Bulls.

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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry settled into a chair in front of his locker, then placed his sore right ankle into a Gatorade jug filled with ice and water.

Golden State’s mercurial guard had better get used to it at this rate.

Curry rolled his surgically repaired ankle and limped off the court for the second time in seven days. This time the pain was a little easier to take.

Curry had 21 points and 10 assists, and played stifling defense on Derrick Rose most of the night to lead the Warriors to a 99-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday.

“He ran his basketball team,” said Golden State coach Mark Jackson, who quietly celebrated his first victory at any level. “He was in attack mode against arguably the best point guard and the MVP of the league. He did a great job of being an extension of me on the floor.”

Monta Ellis scored 26 points and had seven assists, David Lee had 22 points and seven rebounds, and Dominic McGuire made three free throws in the final 47 seconds to seal the win.

Rose had a poor shooting night and finished with 13 points for Chicago.

It was similar to a year ago when the Warriors, playing at home, held Rose to a quiet 14 points and 10 assists and beat the Bulls 101-90.

Ellis drew the assignment against Rose in that game. This time it was almost exclusively Curry, who followed Rose closely throughout the night and prevented the league’s reigning MVP from getting settled in.

“We had an opportunity to show what we’ve been working on in training camp defensively as a team, getting on the same page,” said Curry, who was taken for X-rays on his ankle after the game. “We didn’t do that in the fourth quarter last night so we had an opportunity to come back out tonight on a short rest and turn that around. It just happened that D-Rose was here and we figured it out tonight.”

A day after making a series of late-game breakdowns against Chris Paul and the Clippers in a 105-86 loss, the Warriors built a double-digit lead in the first quarter and held on.

Rose went 4 of 17 from the floor and missed badly on a pair of 3-pointers in the final moments, including an airball with 25 seconds left.

Luol Deng, whose block of Kobe Bryant as time expired sealed Chicago’s season-opening 88-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls. They trailed by as much as 19 before making a late surge to get within 96-91 with 36 seconds remaining.

Chicago, which is in the midst of a season-opening, four-game road trip, has lost nine of its last 10 games in Oakland.

“We let them get easy looks,” Rose said. “In the first quarter, we’ve got to find a way to stop people. Guys that we know can score the ball, they’re getting too many easy looks.”

Ellis, held to 15 in the season-opening loss to the Clippers, got the Warriors going with 13 points in the first quarter but it was Curry who provided the biggest lift.

He scored 12 straight points and drove past three Chicago defenders in the key to cap a 16-5 run and give Golden State a 46-27 lead. Curry also shadowed Rose and helped hold him to seven points in the first half.

Rose, who hit the game-winner in the Bulls 88-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, took only three shots in the first quarter when Chicago committed eight turnovers.

The Warriors increased their lead to 17 after three before the Bulls made their late push to get within 93-85 with 1:44 left.

Kyle Korver made a pair of 3-pointers in a 14-second span to pull Chicago within 96-91 but the Bulls couldn’t get closer.