Bulls surprise Spurs
Season openers are all about possibility. Before the first jump ball is tossed, the mind can dream.
Joakim Noah can be bulked up and stuffing the box score with a double-double. An active Tyrus Thomas can hit jumpers consistently. A healthy Luol Deng can run the floor and drain midrange jumpers. Derrick Rose’s ankle can heal so he can deal.
And the best part about the 44th opener in Bulls franchise history Thursday night at the United Center is that, for at least one night, those dreams turned to reality.
Hustling after offensive rebounds and sharing the ball, the Bulls dropped a 92-85 surprise on the Western Conference powerhouse Spurs.
Deng’s 17 points led the Bulls, who also got 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists from Rose and 14 points and six rebounds from Kirk Hinrich. In fact, with all five starters in double figures, John Salmons’ 3-for-15 shooting became an afterthought.
“We have a lot of guys who can score,” Hinrich said. “We moved the ball well. If we keep doing that, you’ll see a lot of nights like this.”
The Bulls surprised the Spurs with relentless hustle that resulted in 15 offensive rebounds and a 22-13 edge in second-chance points.
Such activity helped the Bulls limit Rose’s playing time, as he was making his first appearance since injuring the posterior tibialis tendon in his right ankle on Oct. 2.
“During the game, the ankle felt fine,” Rose said. “I was a little fatigued at the end of the game ... But I’m fine. I wish we could play again right now.”
Rose played 33 minutes, three more than coach Vinny Del Negro’s preferred target.
Any questions about his ankle should have been answered by the stop-and-spin move he unveiled on Tony Parker with 6 minutes, 53 seconds remaining that led to him making two free throws. Parker still might be looking for Rose.
Deng and Thomas undoubtedly feel that way too. Thomas rebounded from a scoreless first half to hit 5 of 10 shots and score 13. And Deng, playing his first game since Feb. 28 of last season, drained 8 of 13 shots.
“There were a lot of questions and I always said I was just going to let my game speak for itself,” Deng said. “My shot felt great. The last three practices or so, my legs felt great, so I had the lift back on my shot.”
At one point in the third quarter, the Bulls scored on 10 of 11 possessions. The highlight came when Brad Miller faked a shot and fed Thomas, who dunked as Richard Jefferson fouled him. Thomas’ three-point play pushed the Bulls’ lead to 70-58 with 3:02 left in the quarter.
Despite surrendering 28 points and 16 rebounds to Tim Duncan, the Bulls bottled up Parker. He scored just eight points as the Spurs were limited to 42 percent shooting.
“We made second and third efforts defensively,” Hinrich said.
And so it’s on to Boston for the second game of the season against the Celtics.
“The Spurs are one of the best teams in the league,” Rose said. “So is Boston. But we’ll be ready.”
