CHICAGO (AP)—Carlos Boozer scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Chicago Bulls easily won their home opener, pounding the Memphis Grizzlies 104-64 on Sunday night.

Derrick Rose finished with 16 points after a slow start. Ronnie Brewer scored 17 with Richard Hamilton a late scratch because of a groin injury. But with Boozer dominating, the Bulls simply put this one away early.

This game was so lopsided that fans started calling for backup Brian Scalabrine in the third quarter, with the outcome clearly in hand. It was, easily, the most dominant performance of the young season for a team with soaring expectations.

With their eyes on a championship, Bulls took three of four out West, beating Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in the opener and capping the trip with a victory over the Clippers.

Boozer led the way with 15 points and 11 rebounds as Chicago built a 54-28 halftime lead, scoring down low and hitting mid-range jumpers as if they were breakaway layups. He had 11 points during a 13-3 second-quarter run that bumped Chicago’s lead to 48-27.

At 4-1, the Bulls are off to their best start since the 1996-97 team won its first 12, and they won this one easily even though Rose shot just 4 of 10 and Luol Deng finished with 11 points.

The only downer for Chicago was Hamilton getting scratched from the lineup and C.J. Watson leaving with a left elbow injury in the fourth quarter after a scramble for a loose ball with Josh Selby near midcourt.

They out-rebounded the Grizzlies 55-40 and outshot them 46.4 percent to 31 percent.

It was simply a brutal night for Memphis, which got just five points from Rudy Gay. Zach Randolph bruised his right knee and scored only two points in 11 minutes.

Josh Davis and Sam Young were the only Grizzlies to score in double figures, with 10 points apiece. Jeremy Pargo, who grew up near Rose, hit just 2 of 13 shots and finished with four points filling in for Mike Conley.

Notes: Conley participated in the morning shootaround and did some pregame work. He said the ankle is improving, but he remains day to day. “I’m going to try to get some more rest for it and get it stronger with a couple of extra days of rehab before I get back on the court.” … Pargo, who is two years older than Rose, deflected questions about their matchup before the game, saying, “I’m excited to play with my teammates and do our best to get a win.” … The Bulls honored the late Maggie Daley with a moment of silence and video tribute before the game. The wife of former mayor Richard M. Daley, she died in November after a lengthy fight with breast cancer.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Every year the Chicago Bulls embark on a two-week road trip in mid November due to the circus coming to town and taking over the United Center.  If the season starts on time this year, a big IF, then the Bulls will once again head out for their two-week ‘Circus Trip’.

This year’s trip consists of eight games away from Chicago, the most since the Michael Jordan era ended.  The Bulls have used this trip in the past to gauge where they stand amongst the NBA’s elite teams; this year it will be a little different.

Since the Bulls won their last championship in 1998, they have had 12 circus trips.  During that time they have faced an average of four playoff teams during the trip, with at least one of those teams being a legitimate title contender.  Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs routinely end up being opponents during this trip.

This upcoming season however, the Bulls face off against only three teams that made the playoffs last year, and none that made it out of the first round.  Of the playoff teams the Bulls will face, the Denver Nuggets had the best record last season at 50-32, the Portland Trail Blazers were 48-34 and the Indiana Pacers, who the Bulls beat in the first round of last year’s playoffs in five games, were 37-45.

History says this will still be a tough test for the Bulls, despite their 62-20 mark last year.  Over their last 12 circus trips, the Bulls have come home with a winning record only once, last season when they went 4-3.  Their winning percentage since the Jordan era ended is only 18%.  Five times they’ve come home without a win and four times they’ve come home with only one win, including Derrick Rose’s second year in the league, 2009-2010, when they went 1-5. 

The eight games they will play on this year’s trip is 1.5 more than they normally average, so fatigue has to be an issue.  If the lockout shortens training camp and players aren’t working as hard as they should be during the prolonged offseason, eight games away from the United Center could be a disaster.

The Bulls do have several things going for them.  They face three Eastern Conference teams, up from an average of only one since 1999, with two of them - the Milwaukee Bucks and Pacers - being division rivals.  Last year, the Bulls had the best division record in the NBA, going 15-1 against the Bucks, Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons.

The Bulls also have three sets of back-to-back games during the trip, up from an average of fewer than two.  Back-to-back’s weren’t a hindrance to the Bulls last season though; in 23 sets of back-to-back games the Bulls had a winning percentage of 74%, which was in line with their winning percentage on the year.

An eight-game road trip is always a daunting task, but this year’s circus trip could be an opportunity for the Bulls to get off to a hot start and set the pace in the Eastern Conference.  If the Bulls can beat lottery teams like the Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, and Utah Jazz during the trip, a winning record should be well within reach.  If the Bulls finish the trip 5-3 or even 6-2, they will be well on their way to another 60 win season and a deep playoff run.

The Chicago Bulls will tip off their 46th season on Tuesday, Nov. 1 in Dallas versus the NBA Champion Mavericks. As part of the NBA’s Kia Motors NBA Tip-Off ’11 schedule, the game will be televised nationally on TNT at 7:00 p.m. (CT).

Chicago will tip off its home schedule on Saturday, Nov. 5 versus the Atlanta Hawks at the United Center at 7:00 p.m. (CT).

Chicago’s home schedule features the NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 7, while the Eastern Conference Champion Miami Heat will visit the United Center on March 14 and April 12. The Boston Celtics will play at the UC on Feb. 16 and April. 5, while the Los Angeles Lakers will visit Chicago on March 8.

Chicago’s Christmas Day game against the Los Angeles Lakers (at the STAPLES Center) is one of three matinee games on this year’s schedule. The Bulls and Lakers will tip off at 4:00 p.m. (CT) and the game will be televised nationally on ABC.

The Bulls are currently scheduled to appear on national television a total of 29 times. This year the Bulls will air on ABC five times, TNT nine times, ESPN nine times and NBA TV six times. The Chicago Bulls local television schedule will be announced in the very near future.

For a printable version of the Bulls’ 2011-12 schedule, fans are encouraged to visit Bulls.com/schedule.