“Everybody’s doing their job, trying to win their matchup”, Butler said.
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“We’re in a good place”, added Gasol.
Pau Gasol had 17 points and 18 rebounds, Derrick Rose scored 18, and Chicago won its sixth straight.
Seven players, including all starters, finished with double figures scoring for the Celtics (19-17), who were coached by assistant Jay Larranaga while head coach Brad Stevens visited a hospitalized former player he coached at Butler University.
Larranaga says he found out late Thursday morning that he was filling in.
The partnership between Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler has never been a ideal one for the Chicago Bulls, but there has never been any doubt how effective they could be together when both are at full health, playing in a system that highlights their strengths.
Seven Celtics players finished with double-digit points, including all five starters.
If the Bulls can continue to get above-average contributions from small forward Nikola Mirotic and power forward Taj Gibson, they could give Cleveland a run for its money in the postseason.
With one of the best defenses in the league, the Celtics may be able to hold the Bulls under 100 points if they’re on their game.
“He’s a basketball fan, he’s a sports fan”, Gasol said. So we’re going to have to see how this plays out.
Talking about Stevens’ decision to leave the team to visit with Smith, Celtics guard Evan Turner told reporters in Chicago, “I think that speaks volumes in general….”
Since the Bulls’ Christmas Day win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Rose has averaged 19.6 points per game on 49.4 percent shooting, driving much more aggressively than he was at the beginning of the year. It did not hold up, as the Bulls turned up the heat defensively to seize the lead by halftime and keep going.
“You do develop such a strong bond with your players”, Hoiberg said. “Things kind of changed at that point”. “But we have to turn it back around and get back on our high horse and get back to running our offense the way we should”.
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HOUSTON (AP) – James Harden scored 33 points to lead Houston to its second victory over Utah in four days. Kirk Hinrich hit a 3-pointer and Doug McDermott added two more from behind the arc, making it 87-78 with six minutes remaining. Danny Ainge has oftentimes said that Stevens is one of the most competitive people he’s ever met. So for Stevens to miss a regular season game, one to be played against the East’s current No. 2 seed, it says a lot about the enormity of the situation.
