Chicago’s winning streak over Detroit continued on Friday night as the Bulls defeated the Pistons, 108-104. In the first half, it appeared as if Detroit would not only break their losing streak to Chicago, but run away with the game as they led by as many as 17 points in the first half.
But a second half offensive explosion – and a career night – from Joakim Noah propelled Chicago to their 16th consecutive victory over the Pistons.
The Good
Joakim Noah (30 points, 23 rebounds, six assists) had a monster game against Detroit, notching career highs in both points and rebounds. The center grabbed five fewer boards than the Pistons did as a team and led all players in scoring. For the second consecutive game, all five Bulls starters scored in double-figures and Chicago took much better care of the ball, turning it over eight times – their first single-digit output of the season. The team was also very proficient from the free-throw line, going 17-21.
The Bad
The Bulls connected on just five of their 14 three-point attempts, an ongoing issue this season as they’ve struggled to connect from long range with any consistency.
The Ugly
Local
Nate Robinson has been a major spark off the bench for the Bulls this season, but on Friday night he struggled offensively, going 1-8 from the field and scoring two points. In fact, Tom Thibodeau went to just an eight-man rotation and the trio of Robinson, Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler shot 3-11 from the field and was outscored 49-9.
